Destiny Breaker
by AlphaDelta1001
Summary: Since before he could even remember, Naruto has had no talent for ninjutsu whatsoever, an anomally that causes him no ends of grief, pain and confusion. However, is this unusual convenience a thorn in his side or is it a great gift? DISCONTINUED
1. Sacrifice

**Author's Note: **_This is a fic to replace the ones I've deleted, which I have discontinued. It's also to test a plot device I'm working on at the moment, so I'll hang around with this one and work on the others at the same time. Hope you guys enjoy it._

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><p><strong>NARUTO<strong>

**Destiny Breaker**

_Sacrifice_

_It's a father's job to protect his son._

_But if the father can do __**this**__ job, the mother should be even better._

_Kushina gritted her teeth as she desperately held onto the ground on which she stood, with her hands tightly wrapped around the Nine-Tails's enormous, elongated nail sticking through her stomach. The entire power of the colossal beast was being put behind the kunoichi in a futile attempt to run her through completely and impale its intended target. But even with its great size, its incomprehensible strength, and malicious, raw power that was enough to level landscapes, topple mountains and bring about great ocean calamities, despite all of this; the Kyuubi couldn't even budge a young mother protecting her newborn son._

_The redhead coughed out blood as her heels kicked into the dirt, using every last bit of strength she could fathom to prevent the Kyuubi from spearing her baby, who was lying asleep on the Ceremonial Throne that would be used to perform the Eight-Trigrams Seal._

"_DAMN YOU!" the Kyuubi bellowed, attempting to withdraw its paw. However, it was unable to thanks to the chakra chains binding it tightening around his limbs, preventing the demon from moving. "You mongrel humans… I WILL KILL YOU!"_

_Kushina chuckled and glanced over her shoulder, where she saw Minato standing directly behind her._

_Not only did __**she**__ take the lethal blow meant for her son, but the Fourth Hokage, her husband and their son's father, had also taken the hit. Now they were both impaled on the same talon, Kushina's back to her husband's chest, and both of them gripping the nail and the ground with all their might, preventing the Kyuubi from bringing anymore harm to their son._

"_You win…" the woman exclaimed, her voice hoarse from the effort of both holding back the pain and the nail gouging them. "First… (pant) argument you've ever won, Minato. (Pant) Guess you're really serious…"_

_Minato grinned. "Thank you, Kushina…"_

_Relinquishing a hand from the talon the Fourth Hokage held it out to the side, out of reach of the demon's paw. "Summoning Jutsu!" A puff of white smoke formed a cloud beside the withering pair of shinobi, and once the fumes cleared it revealed an impatient-looking toad with a rolled up scroll encompassing its mid-section._

_The lofty amphibian was at first cross at being summoned, but then when it looked up its look of discontent turned into shock at the sight of a very familiar beast. "GAAAAH! The Nine-Tails? And Fourth? What the hell happened to you?"  
><em>

"_Gamatora… I'm entrusting you with the key to the seal. Hurry to Jiraiya-sensei and store it with him," Minato stated, using whatever ounces of breath and energy he had left in his body to speak. In doing so, he unfurled the scroll around the toad's stomach and with his blood, painted in the necessary seals required for the transition from host to host to occur._

_Now that the ownership of the key was being changed, Minato knew immediately what needed to be done._

_He finished his scribbling with an affirmative nod, and with a relieved sigh his blood soaked fingers fell away._

_The toad the Fourth was addressing nodded in understanding and clapped its hands together. "Got it… good…goodbye, Minato…" Gamatora disappeared the same way he arrived, a white cloud of smoke engulfing him and fading away seconds later._

"_That does it," Minato murmured, smiling in relief._

_He felt a sudden tug on his chakra, which was still being held captive by the Dead-Demon Consuming Seal hanging onto both him and the Nine-Tails' chakra he had managed to store within him. The Death God was growing impatient due to Minato's plummeting chakra levels still keeping him bound to this plain of reality, and with a low growl, yanked on Minato's imprisoned soul to let him know that his time was running out._

_The blonde village leader nodded in understanding and placed his hand on his wife's shoulder._

"_It's time for me to go, Kushina," Minato stated, his voice becoming even hoarser. "I'm going to perform the Eight Trigrams Seal… and leave a bit of my chakra behind with Naruto, too."_

_Kushina nodded and closed her eyes, tears welling up at the prospect of leaving her son alone. It pained her even more then the wound both herself and her husband were sharing to protect him. "There isn't much time left… if you have anything to say to Naruto… say it now…"_

_Kushina sighed and opened her eyes, revealing them to be heavily clouded with tears. When she looked down upon her sleeping son, safely out of harms reach of the Kyuubi and the death it was wishing upon him, she smiled._

"_Naruto, don't be a fussy eater; eat a lot and grow up to be a big boy. Take your bath every day, go to bed early and sleep well. Make friends, it doesn't matter how many… just make sure they're real friends… people you can trust… even if it is a few. And if you want to be a ninja some day… then… study your ninjutsu well," Kushina grinned at this vision, imagining how her son would probably be when he's older. "I never really was good at it, but maybe you will be. Everyone has things they're good at and things they're not… so don't feel bad if you can't do it all. Make sure you listen to your teachers at the academy." At this point, both Minato and Kushina were smiling happily._

"_And remember… avoid the three vices of shinobi: don't borrow money if you can't help it, so save what you earn from missions, no drinking alcohol until you're 20, and don't overdo it or you'll ruin your body. And as for women…" Kushina chuckled. "Well… I'm a woman so I don't really know what to say… but there are only men and women in this world… and you'll want to have a girlfriend some day. Just… try not to pick a weird one… try to find someone like your mother…" the redhead then sighed and shook her head, an ever present, unflinching grin on her face. "And the fourth warning; watch out for Jiraiya-sensei."_

_Minato couldn't help but share a light laugh at that, knowing full-well what his master was like. They both did._

_Kushina smiled and cried at the same time._

_This was something she thought would never happen, something she didn't want to see or experience. But it happened._

_There was so much more she wanted to do, so many years in a life she wanted to spend with her husband and her son. She wanted to watch her son grow up, teach him, hold him, and hug and kiss him, to love him, just like a mother would. She wanted to spend time with Minato and Naruto as a family; to laugh together, to play together and have breakfast, lunch and dinner whenever they could together._

_To her, and probably to Minato as well, there was just so much more that they could have done; so much that she just couldn't comprehend what their lives would have been like if the events that had transpired just a few hours ago had been different._

_They could have spent a life time together._

_But life was cruel._

_The man that had maliciously taken away their chance to be a family together was still alive and out there somewhere, witnessing all of __**this**__ happening. The thought that she couldn't do anything about it made her sick to her stomach, and she couldn't even think about the idea of her son facing that man and the world out there all alone._

_Even if it meant sacrificing more then herself, Kushina was not going to let Naruto suffer the same fate she and Minato were._

"_I think… it's time…"_

_The Fourth glanced at his wife with a puzzled look, wondering what she could mean by that._

_Relinquishing her left hand from the Nine-Tails's talon, she reached out and took Naruto's right hand in hers. With the blood she had on her finger, she began tracing markings all along his fingers, his palm, and then his arm. All the while, she felt his little hand twitch under her gentle touch. When she was done, she took his hand in hers and gently held it. Tears streamed down her face as she held onto her sleeping child._

"_That's…" Minato blinked in surprise._

"_The first… and possibly the last thing I will ever teach him, Minato," Kushina smiled. "It's my village's legacy… my clan's most powerful jutsu… and my gift to him. It will protect him…"_

_The Fourth Hokage watched as the seals Kushina drew on Naruto's arm suddenly glowed a brilliant, bright blue, signifying that chakra was flooding into his arm. It then vanished seconds later, along with the markings and the blood. The sight made the village leader smile and with an affirmative nod of his head, leaned in and pressed his cheek up against his wife's, who was still smiling._

"_Naruto… you're going to experience a lot of pain and suffering," Kushina said, trying to hold back all the tears she could, but was unable to. "Remember who you are… find a goal… find a dream… and don't ever stop trying till it comes true. There's… There's… (sniff)… There's so much more I want to say… so much more I want to teach you…I want to stay with you… I love you…"_

_Minato blinked, also on the verge of tears himself. But he had to remain firm and rigid. It was what a father should be._

"_(Cough)… I'm sorry Minato… I took up all our time," Kushina cried._

"_It's okay," Minato murmured, and looked down at his son. "Naruto… this is your dad."_

_A grin spread across his face._

"_Listen… to your motor-mouth mother."_

_The little Naruto seemed to smile and murmur, rolling a bit in his cradle as if he had heard and understood everything his parents had said to him. This was all the sign Minato and Kushina needed to know that their son had been listening._

_Even if he didn't understand it now…_

_He would later on in life._

_Their words and their sacrifice would not be in vain._

"_**Eight Trigrams Seal!"**_

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	2. Failure?

**NARUTO**

**Destiny Breaker**

_Failure?_

**Twelve Years later…**

**Late Morning…**

In the time since the Kyuubi's attack on the village, _Konohagakure_ had become a pillar of strength and courage throughout the _Land of Fire_; an example that all other villages and allied nations wanted to follow. The smaller nations neighboring the country had often looked towards the _Village Hidden in the Leaves_ for support in times of dire stress and great hardship. This balance held between Konoha and its smaller allies helps to maintain a stable and steady economic flow between them, and allows them to resolve disputes quickly without quarrels.

However, accompanying these years of peace and prosperity, Konoha has still been plagued by a different, constant, natural disaster.

"GET BACK HERE!" a ninja shouted angrily as he rushed past startled civilians down a random dirt road in pursuit of his highly elusive quarry. "YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE, NARUTO!"

"Haha! You will have to catch me first!" the spiky haired blonde in question replied, quickly making a sharp turn and sprinting down a narrow alleyway to evade his pursuers. The paint bucket he was holding tightly at his side thrashed about as a result of his wild movements, creating a bright and colorful trail of contemporary patterns over the ground that he covered.

Though it wasn't inconvenient for him, it did leave an incredibly obvious path for his pursuers to follow.

The shinobi chasing the child violently pushed passed several civilians, accidentally knocking someone carrying groceries over to make the hard corner necessary for him to keep pace with his fleeing mark. Of course, in this village, civilians seeing or encountering shinobi running around wasn't a rare sight at all. In fact, it was such a common sight that people could go about their daily lives without the fear of being assassinated.

But seeing **ANBU** out, in broad daylight, and using the roads like a normal person, was actually quite a spectacle to the villagers.

There is one, absolute prerequisite that all ANBU units had to follow above all others, saying that they are '_not to be seen in the eyes of the public or by regular shinobi forces unless orders dictated this law_'. However, the particular target this ANBU was currently in pursuit of was forcing him to break all his rules in order to bring him in.

As soon as he had skidded to a halt at the entrance to the alleyway, the Elite Jonin with brown hair and wearing a cat mask continued his hunt, intent on capturing the little troublemaker and ending this God-awful chase around town.

Meanwhile, overhead, the ninja's partner followed and observed the pursuit closely from the rooftops, jumping from tree to tree and balcony to balcony, all in an effort to keep a lock on the nuisance boy causing them so many problems.

"Dammit Naruto! I'm not going to say it again! STOP!" the man in the mask yelled as he sprinted down the alley.

Naruto grinned back over his shoulder and stuck his tongue out. "You're an idiot if you think you can follow me!" Spinning around in mid-run, the blonde knocked several trashcans over.

The racket blocked the route of the ANBU with annoying clutter that bought the boy probably several seconds, with the noise of the cascading cylinders also startling a cat, who leapt across the way and up over the fence.

Upon obstructing his pursuer's path with whatever he could, Naruto leapt back around and continued his sprint, unhampered by his brief task. He took a sharp right and continued running down a random road out of sight.

The ANBU chasing him leapt over the trashcans with little effort and broke back into a hard sprint with no wasted movement, all in an effort to keep an eye on his swift prey.

"You'll have to do better then that, gaki!" the man barked.

However, just as he was within reach of the exit, his foot suddenly caught onto something invisible and he tripped. Though he managed to catch himself in his fall to the muddy ground, he failed to notice the series of paint buckets lined up on the windowsill high above, which the wire he had disturbed was fixed to topple. The cans of red, green, pink and yellow fell rhythmically from their established point, and bombarded the ANBU with all the fruitiest colors you could imagine.

The man's back and head ended up a splattered, colorful mess. Within moments of the domino affect ending, his dark uniform found itself decorated in a stunning parrot pattern, which would surely turn some heads back at HQ. However, his new look didn't appeal to him that much, nor did he get much of a chance to get a first impression of himself when the pink paint bucket landed on his head.

When the last of the pails fell, the ANBU was seeing red.

But it wasn't in the tone given to him by the unexpected shower.

Clenching his fists and trembling angrily the man leapt to his feet and unleashed a primal roar. Ripping the paint can off of his head, he chucked it at the wall.

"GOD DAMMIT!"

Naruto laughed when he heard the man's cry.

"_Sucker."_

His renewed run down another of the main roads of Konohagakure went on unheeded from that point onwards, as he boldly dodged traffic and stalls left and right. Despite the complexity of his path the route seemed to come naturally to him, with villagers watching from the sidelines as he slid right under a pane of glass being moved across the road, hurdled a wagon of barrels, ducked below a man moving a crate and leapt over a wide puddle.

It was a sporting wonder. But it was not to last.

His run hit no potholes in his successful navigation of all the other obstacles, right up to the point when his path was predictably blocked by the other participant of the merry marathon.

Naruto looked ahead to see his other ANBU pursuer leap down from the rooftops and land directly in the middle of his course. Arms folded, the woman with the purple hair, wielding a katana and wearing a different cat mask to her partner, smirked from behind her porcelain face at the youngster approaching her.

"Give it up, kid," the woman exclaimed. "You can't get past me!"

Naruto smirked in response to his adversary's statement and, as if it were as normal as breathing, he instinctively chucked the paint can he was holding at the woman full-pelt, with his throw backed up by the momentum of his run.

"Catch!"

The tin of white paint spiraled through the air towards the ANBU unit it was aimed for. However, just before it hit her, the masked woman swiftly raised her hand and caught it, a feat that would have been quite impossible for a normal person at the distance.

"Nice try, but-!"

_**SPLAT!**_

The top of the pail suddenly went off and painted her entire mask with white sludge. The exploding, thick liquid managed to get through the holes punched into her porcelain visor, and the woman got the shock of her life when she found her whole world clouded by white.

Yugao dropped the now half a paint can and staggered backwards, trying to clear her eyes out but couldn't due to her accursed face wear.

"Shit… argh! You… YOU! Damn you, you annoying brat!" Yugao roared, flailing her arms out aimlessly to try and catch the boy, only for the spiky haired jinchuriki to slip right between her legs and carry on running passed her. _"He put a piece of an exploding tag inside the can and rigged it to blow when it mixed with the contents! DAMMIT!"_

Once again, Naruto had effortlessly evaded the 'elite' of Konohagakure.

"Naruto: Fifty! ANBU Chumps: NAUGHT! Dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed, and after a brief glance back at the stumbling shinobi, sprinted down the road at full speed.

Nothing would stop him now!

He was in the clear and he could see it. The West Gates of Konohagakure hung wide open, and from where he was to it, there was absolutely zero traffic. The blonde hollered out a triumphant yell and ran on, kicking up a cloud of dust at the speed he achieved. Then, finally, after making a record-breaking 800 meter dash to freedom, the spiky haired academy student leapt through the air and spun around. His heels slammed into the ground and he slid to a stop all cool-style, just millimeters from crossing the threshold leading to the world beyond Konoha's walls.

"Aaaa-nd…"

Grinning widely, the blonde threw his arms up and laughed out loud.

"SAAAAAFE! HAHA!" Naruto bellowed.

Kotetsu and Izumo, the two Chunins who were on gate duty that morning, smiled when they saw the kid arrive.

There morning had been pretty much routine, boring and peaceful, with little to no civilians entering and exiting the village.

It _had_ been relatively quiet, until the walking energy tank arrived.

However, unlike other arrivals, this arrival had been anticipated by the two slackers, and after watching the runner touch the white line Kotetsu clicked on the stopwatch he was holding at his side and looked down at it. Izumo meanwhile, was gazing intently over the counter to where the boy's feet were touching.

The man with the bandana slapped his hand on the desk in front of him.

"It's a goal! His feet didn't touch the line! No penalties!" His hands swept out in both directions, like a ref calling a goal.

The jinchuriki, clad in orange trousers, a dark blue shirt, sandals, an orange flak jacket tied around his waist and with goggles slapped across his forehead, turned towards the border post after his victory yell and grinned at the two Chunin.

"So… how did I do today?" Naruto asked eagerly.

Kotetsu whistled, scratching his head. "It was close, but you broke your previous record," the Chunin exclaimed, taking out a folded up piece of paper from his pocket and as soon as he had opened it began scribbling over it. "From when the whistle blew to the finish line, your previous time was forty-five minutes and fifty-five seconds. Today, you got forty-three minutes and twenty one seconds. Congratulations!"

"YATTA!" Naruto leapt in the air, pumping a fist in the air at the same time. "I'm getting stronger."

"Ah! Don't go jumping around just yet. Your overall score also depends on the participants of this prestigious event," Izumo informed, taking the paper Kotetsu was holding and getting a closer look at it.

Apparently, the 'Chase Naruto across the entire village by random shinobi' had become an almost Olympic-like sport to the two Chunin. Not only were they keeping tabs on the boy's score, but they were also running a betting pool with several of their companions back at HQ. Most of these other patrons were additional border guards and shinobi who have heard of the daily event.

Izumo smiled at the sheet he held.

"The time you got before was an hour-something and you were chased by two Chunin. The day after, you were pursued by three Chunin for fifty-seven minutes and forty six seconds, after that, seven Chunin and you got… an hour, ten minutes and forty-two seconds… mostly due to more participants."

"Not to mention an old man who got in my way!" Naruto stated proudly, giving them the thumbs-up. "Boy, I got him good!"

"Yeah, now _that_ was good craftsmanship," Kotetsu grinned widely after his amused exclamation and shook his head. "I've never seen a pallet of eggs used so artistically before."

"Moving on," Izumo cleared his throat. "Later, you were chased by a dozen Chunin… after that two Jonin… and… let's see… ah! The latest chase involved two Chunin and an ANBU," Izumo marked it. "That ANBU had a bird mask, so I'm guessing it was Kisuke. What were the masks you saw today?"

Naruto rubbed his chin in thought and looked away, scrunching his face up in concentration.

"Umm… let's see… there were three Chunin at first, but I lost them in the flash-bomb route… and… _**two**_ ANBU!" Naruto said, holding up five to indicate the total number. "One had a cat mask with three whiskers on each side, and another had a feral cat mask, with one line on each cheek and one on the forehead!" Naruto drew the invisible definitions over his face in his description of his pursuers.

"Wow… you got two good ones," Izumo affirmed, scribbling down the names. "Today, it was Tenzo and Yugao. Man, is _she_ going to be pissed." He glanced over at his partner with a grin. The man with the bandage over his nose smirked back.

"So… who won the pot today?" Kotetsu asked curiously, pulling up another sheet and looking at the polls provided. "I had two-thousand on fifty minutes with three ANBU…"

"And I had three-thousand on forty-five with one ANBU and two Jonin…"

"Hmm… I'm not sure. I think Genma came the closest with a bid of four for forty-something with two ANBU and three Chunin," Kotetsu informed, going over the secondary piece of paper several times. After confirming his 'report', he then looked back up at the jinchuriki and smiled. "Good on yah today, kid. You should be proud of yourself."

The boy in question grinned back and gave the two gate guards the thumbs up.

Naruto enjoyed causing mayhem and mischief around the village because of the amount of attention it got him. It didn't just consist of bad impressions that came of infuriating the entire populace; it also got him some recognition and respect, even if it was in small amounts. To him, these miniscule doses of ego boosters felt like great gifts to him, ones that he took to heart and helped him get through the days of loneliness back at home.

Among the few appraisers that existed in the village, there were Kotetsu and Izumo, both of who were some of the only people Naruto genuinely liked. The young jinchuriki viewed these two Chunin as senseis, both of whom returned this respect likewise, viewing him as a boy with great potential. To them, he wasn't an outcast. They viewed him as a promising shinobi candidate from the academy and a good friend; who spends most of his time slacking off and pulling wool over the village's eyes.

"So… what did you trash this time to piss off the local guard?" Izumo asked curiously.

Naruto grinned and pointed straight down the road and up a little.

The two Chunin leaned over the counter to take a look at what his focus for today was, and got the shock of a lifetime when they saw what the youngster had actually done.

Just several inches up from where they could see the Hokage Mansion on the horizon, the Kage faces carved into the side of Konoha's Mountain, were painted in a whole new light this morning. A lather of contemporary patterns of white, yellow, pink and red covered their once serious expressions, making them an almost satire image of what they once were. I mean, how could you not laugh at the Third with a nosebleed and a streak of pink across his cheeks?

It fitted his personality perfectly!

"I'm not cleaning that up," Kotetsu murmured, before smirking seconds later.

"Very funny," Izumo choked back a laugh and craned his head ever so slightly, as he analyzed the four faces individually. "Your composition is okay, but you may want to work in the soft brush into the more definitive areas of curvatures. It stands out more from this distance."

Naruto laughed and placed his hands on his hips, standing dead-center of the road and grinning proudly up at his creation. All across the village, the three of them could hear the cries of anguish and despair, as well as the calls from random civilians of 'who could have done such a thing?' The morning quickly descended into a whirlpool of chaos, and Naruto was certain that old-man Hiruzen Sarutobi was already up on the roof of his mansion, intent on assessing the situation and finding the culprit.

But this wasn't an attack from a shinobi nation, a rogue ninja, or anything of the sort; it was an attack from a bored child with an axe to grind.

"Those suckers. It can't get much better than this."

"_No_, it can't." Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard that familiar voice speak up from behind him. A terrified look crossing his face and sweat breaking out like a waterfall, the blonde slowly turned his head about and gulped.

Glancing up ever so slightly, the young teen saw none other then Iruka Umino standing directly behind him, arms folded, finger tapping impatiently against his bicep, and quite literally with smoke rising from his head as he scowled down at his student. Despite his impatient expression though, he was far beyond the point of annoyed.

This didn't sit too well with Naruto.

This time… he was certain he was going to get the 'death penalty.'

"Thought you could get away with it, huh you little runt?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly as he desperately thought of a way out of his predicament. Running wasn't an option and fighting was out of the question. Iruka was able to floor him in light sparring during outdoor sessions and didn't even have to try, and right now, when he was this pissed, coaxing a little duel out of the academy teacher would inevitably mean _he_ would end up face down in the mud. Naruto wasn't that stupid.

Looking over at Kotetsu and Izumo and hoping for some assistance, the blonde inexplicably saw that the pair had resumed going about their 'usual' business. They were nonchalantly filing their nails and whistling random, tone-deaf tunes as they aimlessly looked around their safe little box on the side of the road for something to do.

At this point, Naruto's confidence and respect for the two just plummeted.

He took back everything nice he said about them. They were absolutely useless, particularly when he was in a crisis and needed bailing out and they weren't.

"_Cowards…"_

Naruto turned back to face his teacher with a nervous grin. "G-Good morning, Iruka-sensei! I… I umm… have _**no**_ idea what you could be talking about."

"Oh, I think you do know what I'm talking about."

"Uhh…"

"You'd better have a damn good explanation for missing today's morning lectures and revision classes, Naruto," Iruka breathed, before jabbing his finger in the direction of the Hokage Monument and the miserable state it was in. "And it better not be anything to do with _**that**_!"

"Oh, well… sensei, I… I wasn't skipping class on purpose. No. Not at all. There were… umm… _extenuating_ circumstances that I had to… uhh… attend to… _desperately_ attend to!" Naruto exclaimed, before turning to the two Chunin sitting back in the guard box. "Isn't that right, Kotetsu-sensei? Izumo-sensei?"

The shinobi inside the gate station stopped doing what they were doing and looked over at Naruto with subtle, sly grins on their faces. They shrugged back indignantly at the stares the two individuals in front of them were throwing them, hoping to throw off any blame or involvement.

"Nope…"

"Have no idea what you're talkin' about, Naruto," Kotetsu replied, picking his ear.

Iruka furrowed his brow and looked down at Naruto to see the boy grinning up at him and fidgeting nervously. The Chunin studied the jinchuriki's expression several times, raising an eyebrow before gazing back up at his fellow shinobi companions sitting lazily in their booth. He repeated this action several times, his annoyance growing all the more. If none of them were going to fess up willingly, then his only choice left was to wheedle the evidence necessary for him to make the rational decision out of them.

_Either_ of them would do.

"So… what was the bid I made on the run for Naruto this morning?" Iruka asked.

"I don't think you made a bid, Iru-FUCK!" Kotetsu dropped the paper he brought up and clamped his mouth shut, while Izumo sighed and slapped his forehead.

Caught.

"You blew it mate… thanks a bunch…"

Iruka scowled at them and jabbed a finger in their direction.

In class, his single digit was a force to be reckoned with. He could use it to exile a person from the room or make their life a living hell. For the two Chunin, it was most likely the latter.

"I'm going to have a word with the Hokage about this… _**ALL**_ of this," Iruka said with a dangerous tone lacing his voice, before wheeling back around on Naruto, who was still grinning nervously up at him, but looking even more worried then before. His arms still folded, the Chunin pursed his lips angrily and furrowed his brow even more, his scar wrinkling up as a result. "And as for _you_…"

* * *

><p><strong>Minutes later…<strong>

**Back at the academy…**

"WHAT A RIP-OFF!" Naruto shouted, kicking away on the hardwood floor at the front of the classroom with his whole body except for his legs bound by rope. "FALSE ARREST, SENSEI! YOU GOT THE WRONG MAN!"

"Hmph. I'm sure I can recognize _your_ handiwork, Naruto, even from a long way away," Iruka replied, while smirking down at the tied-up troublemaker propped down on the floor like a show-and-tell item. "After all, I grade your tests on a weekly basis."

Naruto huffed and looked away, his actions earning a round of laughs from all of the students in the classroom sitting up in the rows of desks. Though it didn't discourage the blonde one bit, it did irk him something fierce, and he just stuck his tongue up at both his sensei and the students that laughed.

The scar-faced Chunin sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, before glaring down at the kid again and pointing at him accusingly.

"Tomorrow is the Shinobi Academy's _Graduation Exam_, and you've failed it the past two times, Naruto!" Iruka stated in a loud voice, silencing anymore laughter and wiping any grins off of the on looking students' faces. "This isn't the time to be playing around or causing trouble!"

Naruto scoffed. "Bleh. Whatever."

Steaming with frustration, Iruka snapped. He slammed his foot into the floor and rounded on the students up in the stands, pointing at the empty space to his left. "It's your lucky day cadets… PRACTICAL HENGE NO JUTSU TEST! EVERYONE LINE UP! I expect you all to transform into perfect versions of me!" The Chunin's shouting startled everyone, even the more docile students. The uncomfortable whine from Akamaru sitting atop of Kiba's head could be heard around the classroom.

The feral looking boy wearing the jacket and with the signature red markings under his eyes petted his companion to comfort him. "Shh… it's okay boy. It's just the teacher."

The students wasted no time scurrying down the stairways to the front of the class. Once Naruto had been unbound and had taken his place somewhere at the middle-end of the line, Iruka then began systematically testing each potential graduate that came up. Clipboard in hand, he methodically ticked off and marked the quality of each individual Henge transformation, making note of the slightest details, right down to the position of the scar on his mirror-image's nose.

Most of the students did well, with the more adept ones earning a smile from the desk grown teacher.

Meanwhile, as the line up proceeded round one person at a time, Naruto stood somewhere in the middle, hands on his hips and looking disgruntled. The same could be said about a couple of the other students standing behind and in front of him.

Ino Yamanaka, one of the other well-renowned blondes of the class, stood behind him, and was looking just as displeased as everybody else.

She roughly nudged the one responsible for their predicament in the shoulder, causing him to stumble a bit.

"This whole thing is _your_ fault you know, Naruto," the girl jabbed disapprovingly.

"Like I care," the boy rebutted, glancing over his shoulder in displeasure. "You hardly see me around the classroom anyway. Why do you care if _you_ get to take some of the heat once a month?"

"Because it's mainly you or Kiba that gets us into trouble, you idiot," Ino hissed back, placing a hand on his head and trying to squeeze his brains out. The jinchuriki squirmed unnervingly. "Somebody needs to take the blame."

"Yeah… well," Naruto picked the hand up off of his skull and glared back at her. "It's not like I can do anything you guys can do? You're all _soooo_ special…" The youngster said this with quite a bit of spite and jealousy dripping off of his tongue.

Ino smirked and folded her arms. "Because the rest of us listen in class, while _you're_ an idiot and a slacker. What else can we expect?"

Naruto chose to ignore her following that remark.

After several more students were called up and marked off, it was then Naruto's turn on the grandstand. Iruka watched as the boy stepped forward and assumed both the necessary stance and the hand seal required for him to execute the jutsu.

Frowning, the boy closed his eyes and concentrated.

He knew the process well. The steps required him to gather chakra and expand it to encompass his entire body in order for the transformation to take place. He also had to keep it at a constant emission state to maintain the form of the person he was supposed to be imitating, in this case; Iruka Umino. The man wasn't that hard to copy after all, the blonde knew him from back to front.

It was easy.

As soon as he formed the seal, Naruto began putting his knowledge of the most basic academy technique into practice.

He gathered the chakra at the center of his body like he was taught…

…

…

…

…and that was about as far as he got.

Sweat broke out on his face as he pushed harder and harder.

However, the chakra in his system refused to move, mold or take any shape or form.

It was as if it was being restrained.

The boy gritted his teeth as he tried to force his chakra out, but all he got was white noise. After a few seconds however, his efforts to bring about a proper Henge was accompanied by the sounds of the other students snickering in the background at his obvious turmoil.

"You wuss! It's not that difficult to do a simple Henge!" Kiba exclaimed, with Akamaru barking lightly from his perch atop of his master's head. At that statement, more laughter made its way out into the open, as the students continued to watch Naruto struggle. "What a loser."

Iruka watched on, growing steadily impatient at Naruto's inability to bring about a transformation. That impatience grew even more over the next minute, and after that minute ticked by, the blonde still hadn't attained any results.

Letting out a breath of air, the teacher clicked his pen and marked Naruto off, at the same time putting a big fat 'F' right next to his name.

"Sorry Naruto," Iruka stated, looking up at the kid to see him still fighting with the technique. "If you're going to continue messing around, then you won't get anywhere even with the simplest of techni-"

"But I'm trying Iruka-sensei!" Naruto shouted, finally throwing in the towel and turning towards the scarred Chunin with a distressed look on his face. "I've seen the technique done a thousand times and I've listened to what you've said in class! But I just can't do it myself! I know what to do! I know what I _have_ to do! I just can't do it!"

Iruka frowned at the distraught kid and lowered both his pad and pen.

"You _should_ be able to do the technique, Naruto," the Chunin informed, hands on his hips. "Look, you've had your chakra balance checked over at the hospital dozens of times. I've read the reports from the doctors myself. You're fine. There's absolutely no reason why you can't do it."

"But I can't! That's the problem, sensei," Naruto almost cried out, gesturing to the spot he was standing in before, at the same time he stepped towards his instructor. "It's not just the Henge Technique, but I can't even do any of the escape jutsu or clone techniques that you taught me! It's just… _**not fair**_!" The whole prospect of being unable to perform a single jutsu was digging in deep, and it was really showing on his expression, posture and by how his voice was climbing in both volume and tone.

Iruka observed tears brimming at Naruto's eyes and sighed heavily, shaking his head.

"Look, I'm sorry, Naruto. But if you _can't_ do any of the required jutsu by tomorrow's exam… then I'm afraid… I'm going to have to fail you," Iruka replied, shrugging in disappointment. As much as it pained him to let his student down, he had no choice. "You may have passed your physical fitness with flying colors, and barely scraped by on your stealth and taijutsu basics, but you've still done poorly in your final shurikenjutsu test and most of your theory work. Being unable to complete your basics in academy jutsu practices, your final score will ultimately fall behind in the academy aggregate required for graduation by ten points."

Naruto was a good kid when he wanted to be. He worked just as hard as everybody else when he wasn't skipping class, and he was competent in some areas. His taijutsu was fair, his stealth was pretty good during the formative tests, but he was always fooling about and acting flamboyant during the actual exams, and his physical fitness was far above any of the other students'. Nevertheless, throughout all his years of schooling, the blonde has been unable to perform any ninjutsu.

Even gathering chakra proved to be too much for him.

If he couldn't perform a technique when his body could, then failing him was the best option.

Hearing what Iruka had to say, what little hope and encouragement Naruto had in him just disappeared. The boy frowned deeply in a combination of both aggravation and displeasure.

With an angry growl, he turned heel and just legged it out of the classroom. He left a concerned Iruka and an amused room of students behind as he took to the hallways, and then to the outside world as soon as he was out the doors of the academy.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day…<strong>

**Hokage's Office…**

"… he's a good student, Hokage-sama, but I just… (Sigh). If he can't perform the Clone Jutsu by tomorrow, then I can't pass him," Iruka explained, his eyes falling on the back of the Third Hokage's seat while the village leader was staring out the window. "I don't see how he can possibly survive out there in the real world when he can't even perform a single jutsu successfully or focus long enough to ensure good team competence or results on missions. Even though I've explained the concepts to him over a hundred times, he may understand the processes, but he can't follow-through with them."

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained quiet after the Chunin finished his report on his most well recognized student. Even though it wasn't a student who was a genius or the most talented, it was still a student everyone knew very well; someone whom Iruka had taken so much time out of his busy schedule to approach the esteemed village leader about. From the way he described the situation and what his ultimate decision was in regards to the boy's progression, he sounded incredibly concerned.

The Third pulled his pipe out from his pocket and plopped the tip in his mouth. Lighting it and breathing in deeply, the elder took more time to contemplate the entire story as he filled the air with the smell of tobacco, while Iruka waited behind the desk patiently for his greatest mentor to deliberate on his words.

All the units in the shinobi forces expected Hiruzen to make immediate, calculated decisions on resolving issues, particularly on the more minor of matters. Nevertheless, despite having had this job for far longer than any of his predecessors, the old man liked to take his time mulling over information in his head. He had learned from experience that in the most stressful of times, even when those times were narrowed down to a last minute reflection, still required a certain amount of time to think about.

And unlike Iruka with his rather brash conclusion on the subject, the Third still felt he was overlooking something.

Minutes ticked by and Iruka was given no answer, not even a murmur or indication that his existence was recognized by the most esteemed village elder. However, after giving the subject in question further reflection, with some more window gazing as a focal point, the old Hokage eventually did come up with something he noticed that Iruka had missed.

It was a crucial detail that even he felt needed evaluation.

"How _did_ young Naruto paint the entire _Hokage Monument_ without anybody noticing till he had finished?"

"P-Pardon…?"

"And how _did_ he manage to get over the side of that mountain without expending any chakra whatsoever for assistance? An elevation like that would require a rather complex mechanism that would surely have been noticed. Obviously, the cleaning platform hadn't been lowered or tampered with in the slightest during his little escapade, and the stone faces certainly weren't damaged by any grappling equipment. So… how _was_ he able to accomplish such a feat, without any help and while the sun was peaking over the horizon?"

"Uhh…" Iruka blinked, a little bit dumbfounded.

Hiruzen chuckled, blowing smoke rings into the air at the same time.

"Furthermore, he was able to give some of my best shinobi the chase of a lifetime around the entire village for over half an hour, ample time for even an adept Chunin to have bagged a regular Genin in a similar situation. Heck, he even managed to evade all attempts made by the ANBU to capture him, to the point where he would have cleared the village gates and defenses without getting caught, and would have been out of the country by… _saa-ay_… midday," the Third stated, removing the pipe from his mouth and tapping it on the side, sending excess ash flying. "Such agility, energy, speed and skill should not be overlooked."

"But… Hokage-sama…" the Chunin stood, a little bit baffled.

After seeing their most treasured and well recognized monument vandalized by an academy student, Iruka thought that the Hokage would have been far more furious then he was.

However, he wasn't furious at all. The Hokage was in fact _laughing_ at the idea. Also, to have seen the results personally after the fiasco; the images didn't shake him in the least.

He was pleased?

What kind of madness was this?

"These skills more then make up for what he lacks in talent for ninjutsu and genjutsu, Iruka," Hiruzen spun around in his chair and looked up at the young man, who stood to attention the moment the village leader turned to face him. "You say he does poorly in school, and that his jutsu skills aren't all that up to scratch for some… _unknown_ reason. Yet you also say he tries his hardest and that he is extremely passionate about becoming a shinobi. From what he has shown to be capable of… even if they were merely fun and games, don't you think that has earned him enough credit to pass your expectations for a Genin?"

Iruka sighed and scratched his head, taking a bit more time to look about in contemplation of this added information.

True, he overlooked Naruto's many adventures of mischief around Konohagakure, mostly due to the fact that they had been catastrophic to the village and to those around him. He had even completely overshot the debacle from months ago when Naruto was chased down by three enemy kunoichi, who were after an intelligence piece on a kunai he had found in the forest. Though he had managed to stall them using a vast assortment of material from his box of tricks till reinforcements arrived, those tricks and maneuvers wouldn't have been considered as legitimate, or standard, shinobi material and tactics in a school grading system.

Nevertheless, it was a success in its own right and he was able to get away with it.

Not to mention all of his other escapes he had made from the clutches of skilled Chunin and Jonin sent after him on a day-to-day basis after he'd vandalized and rigged up several iconic areas of importance around the village. Looking back on it, all those accomplishments were admittedly quite impressive.

"He's a little, slippery troublemaker that high class shinobi all too often underestimate… I'll give him that," Iruka had to smile a bit and looked back up at the Hokage. "He definitely has the potential to cause the enemy quite a bit of grief. Although… I'm still a bit worried that his eccentric behavior might compromise a mission."

"Why not give him another chance, Iruka?" Hiruzen suggested, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not asking you to pass him on the knowledge of his past antics, but just to test him on different grounds. He's obviously a smart student that isn't as disciplined like the others in following standard procedures. Maybe approaching him in a different way will help you reach a more reasonable verdict."

Iruka nodded. The Third always knew what to say to ease his mind and troubled conscience.

Dealing with children at the academy day in and day out really stressed him out. He needed to clear his head.

"Sounds fair," the Chunin agreed with a smile. "Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama." The man bowed to the elder and turned to leave.

Just as Iruka was reaching for the door of the room, he heard the elder clear his throat.

Hiruzen quickly followed this up with more words; words that were intended for Iruka's ears alone.

"Remember Iruka," the Hokage began, his expression falling back onto its usual, stern look to convey his seriousness of the situation. "Two years ago, you also passed a student who couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu at all. I believe his name was…" Hiruzen added to this with a tap of his pipe against his chin and a shy-away glance of thought, "Rock…Lee…?"

Iruka blinked, remembering the name of that particular student.

If memory served him well, that boy was just as eccentric and determined as Naruto.

"I recall that his sensei was exactly the same as he was years ago… only he underestimated his abilities more to the point he stuck to only one form of shinobi conduct and discipline," the village leader continued, and allowed a smile to drift over his lips again. "Food for thought…"

Iruka looked at his feet temporarily, pondering over this new information given, before he eventually stepped out of the office.

* * *

><p><strong>After school hours…<strong>

**Behind the Academy…**

Following the locking up of the classrooms he had attended during the day, Iruka took some more time off to wander about to think. His conversation with the Third had given him a bit more of an insight as to what Naruto could actually accomplish outside of the academy. Even though theoretical and practical work in the academy counted significantly towards graduation, he still had a slightly open window to accept out-of-school work.

Naruto was definitely a special candidate when it came to practical work outside of the margins of the schooling system.

The Chunin concluded that he had to look away from the boy's various test sheets and marks taken during classes, in order to gain a better understanding the youngster's potential.

Strolling around on the grounds outside of the academy, Iruka allowed his thoughts to wander on Naruto's past behavior and accomplishments, as this was his main focus and concern for the day.

The boy's personality and antics pretty much outweighed everything else, even some of his most notable accomplishments, such as his continued increase in taijutsu prowess and excessive use of energy, in addition to his above high-standard physical fitness. He was a student who put matter before mind in an appropriate manner, but put the mind aspect a little too far behind him. Obviously, Naruto's attention span during lessons was as low as Shikamaru's, except Shikamaru didn't do too well in practical work aside from having an appropriate aim, but had terrible timing consistency in that respect. Naruto more then made up for that in consistency, speed and strength.

There was just so much for Iruka to take in that he was having trouble coming up with a suitable verdict that would satisfy both him and Naruto.

He wasn't going to pass Naruto without good reason; that much was made clear to him in his conversation with the Third.

"_But why can't he use ninjutsu… I don't understand," _Iruka shook his head, deeply troubled by this note. _"His medical results show that he has chakra there, which means it __**can**__ be harnessed somehow. But why can't it be manifested? Could he really be like Lee?"_

He gritted his teeth as he thought harder. _"He's young, he's childish, and he doesn't fully understand how the world works. How can he survive out there on his own when the situation calls for it and how will he fair when he's placed on a team for that matter? He's just… too difficult."_

The man looked up as his thoughts raged away inside of his head. He began to think a bit more logically and seriously, and also started exploring deeper into the other aspects about the character in question.

"_But… then again… there __**are**__ kids his age that go out there all the time; some of them I consider to be equal to his level or even far less competent in comparison. Tsk…" _Iruka chuckled briefly. _"Despite his childishness and his failings, he was able to run rings around our best shinobi. He's also lived on his own for most of his life as a jinchuriki; hated, taunted and ridiculed by everyone… with no one to look after him or teach him these important things about life and fighting. He doesn't even know who he is, and yet he's survived with only a handful of useful skills. Heh."_

While Iruka worked over the debate in his head, he suddenly became aware of the sounds of distant yelling and loud thumping noises. Blinking as he was stirred from his world of contemplation, he set his sights on the wooded area beside the playground.

Looking around briefly and keeping an ear open for the clamor, the Chunin then began making his way towards the source of the sounds. Stepping off of the footpath, he pushed his way through the brush he encountered around the wooded area, which quickly led him to an open space.

Peering round a tree standing in his way, Iruka sprouted a look of surprise when he spotted Naruto sparring away against a large tree stump situated in the middle of the clearing. Making sure he kept out of sight, the older shinobi decided to stay and watch his student for a bit.

"_So this is where he goes after he runs off?"_ Iruka blinked, recalling some of the other times Naruto had fled the classroom out of either frustration or distress.

Naruto was working his fists and kicks into the sides of the large log like it was a training dummy, yelling out with every blow he landed. The style he used wasn't an academy approach, but more of a mixture between it and an unusual form of combat Iruka recognized, which best suited his build. He struck with power hits that were swift and consistent, and visibly cracked and shook the large stump with the amount of force put behind every swing. He also compensated for the wider hits with quick strikes and jabs that also acted as a defense for his center, which he mixed in with his more accentuated attacks.

His style then became more elaborate, as he began moving around the object of his attention, jumping high to land kicks and punches in the upper parts of the log. He danced rings around the stump, before eventually stopping with his right fist barely hovering over the surface of the trunk. His last punch looked strong, but he stopped at the last second.

Iruka became puzzled by why he ceased, but found out soon enough when he saw Naruto's fist begin to tremble and his calm expression held from when he was fighting suddenly transform into one of anger.

Naruto glared at his fist for a full minute, before bringing it back and begin ruthlessly laying it into the tree. He jabbed and punched at the log with all his might, literally plowing a hole right through to the center, shattering the wood. When it collapsed, he then focused attention on another buffer, this time a fully grown tree standing away from the middle of the clearing, and began slamming his fists into that one as well.

"WHY… AM I… A… FAILURE?" Naruto shouted between each punch, bringing the whole trunk down shortly after and moving on to another. "WHY… DO… I… SUCK?"

Bringing down two more trees, the jinchuriki then turned to another one and, bringing his right fist around, sent it straight across in a wide hook.

"WHY CAN'T I DO IT!"

His cry was added with a loud crash as his hook went straight through the tree, sending chunks of wood and splinters flying through the air. That mighty blow sent the tree collapsing right on top of another, just as all the others had after suffering the youngster's wrath.

The boy sobbed out in both hurt and anger as he stumbled around. He turned his attention back to the collapsed stump he had been working on before. Approaching it, he picked it up and literally hurled it into the tree tops, moments before falling to the ground himself.

There he stayed and wept, ignoring the fact that his fists were cut up and bleeding badly.

Iruka was at first shocked; shocked that the boy was able to bring down six trees on his own with his bare hands successively. He was then shocked in a different way when he saw the boy begin to cry and stepped back a little as he watched.

In all the years he had known the boy, Iruka had always considered Naruto as a steel pillar; one that was not so easily broken or damaged. Sure he would be swayed by the bellowing wind once or twice, but the boy quite frequently if not always came off as bright, cheerful, happy, and childish. However, what Iruka failed to realize up till that moment was that all he had been seeing on the young boy's face was a mask.

Bringing down most of a wooded clearing out of sheer, pent up anger and frustration was proof enough that the boy was hurting deeply on the inside.

Unable to stand watching anymore, Iruka came around from his hiding place and approached the boy. When Naruto heard the footsteps of somebody nearby, he looked up to see none other than his teacher step out of the shadows of the brush and stride over to him. At first, the blonde hurried to wipe the tears away from his eyes and stand up in a vain attempt to convey that there was nothing wrong with him, but the Chunin quickly swooped down and placed a hand on his shoulder before he could proceed any further.

"Sensei?"

"Wait a moment, Naruto…"

Reaching into the back of his pouch, the scarred shinobi pulled out some bandages from his kit. Unfurling them, he then started wrapping Naruto's hands up. Though he didn't break any bones they were still worse for wear, so the man made sure to cover them up properly and firmly.

The young jinchuriki watched the teacher wrap up his hands cautiously for the better part of the five minutes that passed them by, but then looked away with a defiant expression on his face.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," Iruka smirked. Clasping both gauze wraps, he then propped himself back into his kneeling position and looked proudly at his work. "There. That should do it."

Naruto flexed his fingers, finding them to be a bit numb from his workout. But that buzzing feeling went away moments later, leaving him with just the white gauze gloves covering up his self-inflicted injuries. The spiky haired youngster then glanced at his teacher for a second time, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Why are you here, sensei?"

"Well… I was just out for a little afternoon stroll, thinking about what students I'm going to pass in tomorrow's Graduation Exam," he began his sincere reply with a thoughtful look on his face, before smiling and shrugging. "Then I heard a racket all the way out here, so I came to investigate."

"And…?" Naruto furrowed his brow, knowing there was more to the story.

"That's it," Iruka said assertively, nodding his head.

Naruto frowned and stood up.

Defiant as usual, he then turned back to what he was doing. Picking out a random tree that he hadn't destroyed, he walked over to it and began working against it with palm strikes and kicks. He went about it in a similar manner to how he had been before with his fists, only this time he was sure to keep this one upright for a longer period.

Though his actions rallied further concern from Iruka, upon closer inspection of his fighting condition, the man saw that it wasn't bothering him.

Using this moment of reprieve for a more detailed analysis, the Chunin concentrated on the area Naruto was using for practice and looked around.

Now that he was in the middle of the clearing, Iruka saw that a great number of the trees had taken a beating. Not only had they been used as punching bags, but they also had crude targets drawn into the upper and lower levels of their trunks. Kunai and shuriken were lodged deeply into the sides of the wood surfaces, indicating strenuous, repeated practices. One tree in particular had clusters bunched up into it within the rings of the target, telling the shinobi that _that_ particular tree had been the main object of the boy's attention.

Judging from the extent of the damage that one tree had sustained, the Chunin concluded that Naruto must have used up a lot of his time getting to that particular stage of accuracy with his blades.

Iruka blinked in surprise.

"You were out here the entire day, Naruto?"

Naruto huffed, finishing a palm strike and looking down at the grass at his feet. "Yeah…"

"I take it you were working on your taijutsu then?"

"Not just my taijutsu," Naruto replied, disheartened. A minute of pause later, he restarted his activity, slamming his palms into the sides of the tree several times, before angrily yelling out seconds later and throwing a roundhouse kick into the side of it, splitting the log where he hit. "But I also worked on the Clone Jutsu and the Henge no Jutsu!"

"And…?" Iruka asked curiously, hoping for a positive answer but expecting something less.

"AND NOTHING!" Naruto roared and slammed a side kick into the tree's base, nearly splitting it in two. Hopping away, the blonde then grabbed his hair and pulled at it. He would have ripped his hair out from its roots if he hadn't tripped and fallen back against the new tree he was taking his frustration out on. Instead of attacking it even more, he simply let go of his frustration and collapsed against it, looking down at the ground with his eyes hidden by his hair and goggles.

"I can't do it, sensei," Naruto sobbed. "I can't do any of the techniques you showed me! No matter how hard I try, no matter how much or how little chakra I use, no matter how hard I practice… I just can't get any of the techniques to work."

Iruka saw how disappointed he was.

Of course, with all of his hopes and dreams on the line, all of which were resting on tomorrow's exam, he had _everything_ to lose. Becoming a ninja and becoming Hokage was everything Naruto had in his life. There was nothing else.

Iruka could understand that. He had been in the same position Naruto was currently in when _he_ was a student; playing the fool to hide a warrior's pain, causing mischief to gain recognition, and doing everything possible to be acknowledged by his peers for his talents, and to overlook his faults.

But _he_ was the teacher now and _he_ was the one commanding the fates of the students at the academy. He was the one now dealing with the papers.

Iruka decided at that moment that he was going to test his new theory inspired by the Hokage, and if it worked, it would help him settle the debate going on in his head.

Looking around, the Chunin saw what Naruto had just accomplished on his own.

He couldn't argue anymore about the boy's physical strength. After seeing him tear down several trees that even well trained Genin found hard to do was evidence enough.

At this point, all he had to do was find out whether everything else wasn't just a fluke.

Scratching his cheek, Iruka approached the boy lying against the tree. Pulling out a kunai from his pouch, the man then shadowed the youngster and held it out to him. When Naruto saw what it was being offered to him, he glanced up at Iruka questioningly, showing the tears brimming at his eyes.

Iruka gave him a serious look.

"Throw it."

"Huh?"

"I want you to throw this Naruto," the man repeated, dropping the knife in his hand. He then stepped back, and stood about a meter in front, just enough for Naruto to see the trees about five-hundred yards behind him, the average throwing distance of a Genin. The Chunin frowned as he glared down at him like a scolding father. "At the tree. Behind me."

"Sensei?"

"You've been working hard, haven't you?" Iruka asked, earning a nod from the boy. "You've been sitting in my classes and my practical lessons. You've watched me and I've taught you. You've trained with your fellow students AND you've trained on your own in your free time. Let's see what you can do. The tree: twelve degrees to my right, forty degree elevation, the shuriken lodged in the upper branch on the left. Dislodge it!"

"Wha… but…"

"DO IT!"

Naruto, furrowing his brow and gritting his teeth, resigned to his fate. Taking aim, he then flipped the knife into a throwing grip and threw it. The knife sailed right over Iruka's right shoulder and ruffled his hair at how close it came, cutting through the wind with ease as it shot towards its mark. A second later, there was a loud clang when the kunai hit the tree branch, and knocked the shuriken in question from it. The ninja star fell from its placement and dropped to the ground, where it landed with a light thud.

Naruto blinked in surprise, which earned a smirk from Iruka.

The man then grabbed the boy by the shoulder and moved so that the jinchuriki stood in front of him. The teacher took his place behind him and folded his arms, the blonde looking at the taller man over his shoulder.

"You've still got a full pack?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Alright," Iruka frowned. "Target A: left, third tree from the center, ten degrees down!"

Naruto reacted immediately to the coordinates and reached into his pouch. Drawing a cluster of shuriken, he tossed them. The four stars cut through the air, and thudded one after the other against his poorly drawn circle at the base of the trunk, impaling the target. The blonde maintained his stance, glaring across the field.

"Target B: right, forth tree from the center, thirty degrees up!"

The jinchuriki did as instructed, reaching into his leg holster and drawing a kunai. With that quick draw, he tossed it with an upward throw, the knife slicing like a bullet through the space between the thrower and the target, before thumping hard against the tree. It hit its mark dead center, shaking a few leaves from the host.

"Target C and D: forth left and fifth right from the center, twenty degree down and up!"

Naruto flicked his left and right hands, shuriken sliding from his jacket sleeves into his hands. In a flash, he tossed them in a cross throw, the stars curving through the air and passing each other a split second before hitting their assigned targets.

"Target E: left, third tree from the center, ten degrees down!"

The blonde followed through with a shuriken. However, the star missed and hit the trunk instead.

He gritted his teeth.

"Dammit!"

"DON'T STOP! Repeat!" Iruka shouted.

Naruto did so with a second star, the weapon curving sharply and in a flash, struck the target squarely in the center.

"Target F and G: right, second from the center, five degrees down and twenty degrees up!"

The jinchuriki drew two kunai from hic pouch by the rings and threw them in an upwards throw as before. The blades broke through the air and split in a 'V' motion, the blades thumping against their marks.

"Targets H, I and J: left two, left four and right three, twenty degrees down, up and thirty degrees up! Multiple targets!"

Naruto reached back with both hands and drew clusters of shuriken between his fingers. With a yell and a swift cross throw while riding a low stance, just as he had practiced in class, he threw the metallic stars. The weapons broke through the air at random intervals, and one after the other hit their carefully assigned targets. When the thudding stopped and the trees ceased rattling, the blonde was standing in front of Iruka with his arms and hands extended, and panting heavily.

Iruka furrowed his brow and looked down at his watch, pulling back the sleeve to check the time. He nodded his head and lowered his arm, before marching passed Naruto and walking over to the first target he had aimed for.

While Naruto remained planted where he was, just as all the students had been instructed to back during the practical sessions when on the range, the teacher went over to the tree at the far end and dropped to his knee on the grass. Quickly going through the thick brush, he then picked up the shuriken that the blonde had knocked from its position about several meters above him and looked at it. His finger ran over the chip that it had sustained when the kunai grazed it, and after collecting it, Iruka stood up and turned back around.

Covering the return distance, he stopped in front of Naruto and held the shuriken out to him. The boy took it and looked at the iron star to see the chip, and his finger gently ran over it. In spite of his bandaged hands and bruised knuckles, which should have obstructed some of the flexibility in his digits, the gauze didn't hamper him at all.

Once he had analyzed his prize, Naruto took a moment to look up at his teacher to see him smiling down at him.

"You see. You _can_ do it," Iruka exclaimed, before turning back to the firing range behind him and taking score.

"B-But… sensei… how… I…?"

"All targets neutralized with only one miss, and…" Iruka looked down at his watch again, "All in less then fifteen seconds, I make it." The man glanced at the boy with a smirk. "All targets hit close to or dead center. You _have_ been training, Naruto."

"But sensei," Naruto started, stepping forward. "I… I still can't do the Henge or Clone Jutsu. W-What does this have to do wi…"

"That," Iruka said, dropping to his knee in front of the boy and placing both his hands on his shoulders, "doesn't matter, Naruto. The point is… you've proven that you've been working hard throughout the entire year and that you've tried your best here… I can see that." His grip firmed and he smiled at the boy, who was still giving him a questioning look. "When you're around others, you're just too focused on what everyone else is doing and what they're thinking about. Or you're just so focused on thinking about somebody else that… you get distracted, and that you're too caught up in worrying about everything else that you can't concentrate on what _you_ yourself are doing. But when you _do_ focus on what you're doing, when you work hard on it… you do _extremely_ well… you accomplish what you set out to do. That's what's important."

He ruffled the blonde's hair, earning a blink from the boy, followed by a small smile and a nod. Iruka then grinned and stood up, looking back towards the targets.

"Besides… you just passed yesterday's test… and with an A plus!" Iruka exclaimed.

"Huh? R-Really?" Naruto literally jumped, and looked up at the Chunin with renewed surprise and joy in his eyes. It was as if he had just been jumpstarted.

The scarred man nodded.

"Yeah," Iruka stated affirmatively, "you passed the preliminary tests leading up to the written exam and the Bunshin test. _Let's see… _recap, you've passed your taijutsu and stealth basics, though barely, and you're physically fit and fast enough to be a Genin." The man then flashed a grin down at the boy, one that he was certain the youngster deserved. "Not to mention I'm rewriting your Shurikenjutsu test."

Naruto grinned and stepped up to the man, looking as though he was about to start jumping around in excitement. "R-Really, sensei?"

"Yup," Iruka nudged him in the shoulder. "Listen, if you can pass the written exam tomorrow, then I won't have to count the Bunshin test to your final score. I'll let you pass…"

"YATTA!" Naruto exclaimed, leaping at the man and hugging him. Iruka chuckled when the boy latched onto him and ruffled his hair. However, after staggering about with his extra luggage for a moment, he managed to yank the blonde off of him and force the hopeful kid to look back up at him.

Not only did he see tears of joy this time, Iruka also saw renewed determination and delight beaming from his face like the rays of a sun.

"But don't get your hopes up too high, Naruto," the man said, his expression becoming serious again. "Not only do I need you to go home and study hard for tomorrow, but I also want you to later find out what is really wrong with your chakra network." The blonde shook off his tear filled expression of joy and instead shot a look of surprise up at Iruka. "You can use chakra like all of your other peers, but I don't think it's due to you slacking off or misplacing the steps. Just to be sure, I'll take you to see the doctor after the final exams to get you thoroughly checked. Okay."

Naruto nodded firmly. "Yes." He then pulled himself off of the man. Wiping his nose and eyes on his sleeve, he then hurriedly scampered out of the clearing, shuriken in hand. He waved back at his teacher as he left, disappearing into the trees. "I'll study hard, Iruka-sensei! I promise!"

The man smiled and waved back. Once the boy had gone, he grinned and scratched his head in relief, looking back at the clearing. He whistled when he saw the state of the trees for the third time that night.

"_Still… to do all of this with his bare hands…" _He looked down at his own knuckles for added emphasis, and rubbed them at the very thought of plowing them through solid wood. He winced at the idea of doing so. _"Even I would second think training like that." _The man sighed and pocketed his hands, smiling at the scene. _"I guess Hokage-sama was right… Naruto really is something different…"_

Iruka took his leave a few minutes later, not in the mood of cleaning up the field, and instead leaving it for Naruto to come back to. After all, this was _his_ little training zone.

What Iruka was unaware of when he departed from the scene however, was that a pair of eyes had been watching him from the roof of the academy building the entire time. The elevation gave the onlooker a good view and ear to the entire area two to three stories below, and after watching what had transpired, the man with the white hair and donning the standard Konohagakure shinobi uniform cursed under his breath.

"_That demon loving son of a…" _the Chunin's hands tightened into fists. _"Well… if he's going to pass that __**brat**__ tomorrow… I'll just have to find another way to get that scroll!"_

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note: <strong>In this chapter, I'm just carefully esstablishing Naruto's appeal and relationships with his teachers, and with the village. I think it does his character credit that he gets about Konoha a lot, and that his true potential is reflected in his tricks and unpredictability. He is exceptionally good at deception and strategy when he wants to be, and I'm simply accentuating this fact, as well as the idea that he can be quite competent in taijutsu. Not on Rock Lee's level, but more on level with Sasuke's. I find that taijutsu is the coolest aspect of fighting in Naruto, and that I'm developing my Naruto on that basis rather than on him solely relying on just jutsu and the Kyuubi's chakra. (Honestly Kage Buunshin is used too much in the series, and when put into an actual fight, the animators put no effort into stretching out his battles like they did with Kakashi, Ino, Shikamaru and Choji against Kakuza and Hidan, or Sasuke and Orochimaru in the Chunin Exams in the Forest, or any of Kyuubi Naruto's battles. None of Naruto's battles where he solely fights under his own power are good.)_

_So, I'm building up Naruto's life around characters and obstacles that are meant to challenge him and develop his abilities and relationships. Stick around. It'll get good._

_(Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto)_


	3. Hand Before Foot

**NARUTO**

**Destiny Breaker**

_Hand Before Foot_

**The next morning…**

Naruto sat in his seat in the classroom, upper-body and head lying on the table with an exhausted and dreary look on his face. He had been like that since Iruka came around the isles to pick up their exam sheets for marking, leaving him and the rest of the students with an hour or so of break time while their sensei ticked or crossed away. The atmosphere couldn't have been anymore tense or anymore chatty.

Students left and right were either nervously watching their teacher's monotone expression as he flipped through the test sheets with his pen one after the other, or were turning in their chairs and having a conversation with the person next to or behind them. This left Naruto with nothing to do but to sit, wait and hope for the best.

"_I spent all night studying all of my text books and scrolls," _Naruto thought, groaning with a bit of drool leaking out of his mouth and his eyes squinted in their characteristic manner. _"I must have gone through two years worth of work and rework in eight hours…ugh…"_

Wanting to pass the time, Naruto looked up and around him to see if there was somebody nearby he knew that he could talk to, or try to talk to.

Looking across the way to his right from where he was sitting, he saw Amy seated and chatting with one of her friends… not really someone he knew very well, nor was she someone he really liked that much.

She was kind of stuck up.

Looking in front of him, he saw Choji.

Kind of a weird guy, but he was more preoccupied with his chips then he was with what was going on around him. Sure he had hung out with the guy a lot back when they were younger, which was fun, but after a short amount of time, the orange haired boy sort of stopped hanging out with him.

Which was even stranger considering the last time he saw him was when he was taken away by his dad when they were playing on the playground.

Naruto then looked behind him, quickly dismissing his rotund classmate.

He had a second to identify Sasuke sitting in the row above…

…

He didn't want to talk to him at all. Full stop.

Naruto then looked to his left.

Shino was sitting next to him. Boy was his luck high today. Though he barely knew the guy, the one thing that he did happen to know about the Aburame was that he was uncomfortably quiet. When he was placed in a line up or crowd of students, he was normally the easiest to pick out because he was the tallest, was one of the only boys to wear sunglasses, and he just seemed to stare at you for hours on end.

It was nerve-rattling.

Nevertheless, figuring a one-sided conversation was still good conversation, Naruto sucked in air, his smugness, and let it all go, before smiling at the silent boy.

"So… how did _you_ do?"

"…"

Shino turned towards him, his sunglasses flashing in the light from the sun beaming in through the windows.

"…"

Naruto kept on smiling, even though the corner of his lip was twitching nervously under his classmate's intense gaze. He managed to keep his blue eyes locked with the other bo-wait… reevaluation, with the other boy's _sunglasses_. Whether Shino was looking directly at him or not was a good question, since those things obscuring his eyes made it difficult to determine otherwise. Regardless, it was still unnerving.

"…"

The blonde jinchuriki's smile faltered a little after a full minute of silence, and after another thirty seconds and not getting even a visual quirk from the shady academy student, Naruto looked away. He plopped his chin back down on the desk in front of him with a submitted expression adorning his features, and simply took up to staring at the blackboard at the front of the classroom, hoping to see the words written on it come to life and start attacking each other for his amusement.

"Yeah, I think I did okay as well," Naruto sighed. What was the point? Even Shino refused to talk to him. But understandably, responding to an unasked question seemed the most logical answer.

"…"

"…"

"It was… a _fair_ test," Shino replied, his voice set on a single track and tone.

Naruto literally jumped in his seat when he heard the statue speak, and looked over at the Aburame with a bewildered look on his face. He was more or less surprised. Then again, who was he to argue? He wasn't even expecting Shino to reply.

"Oh, so you _**can**_ talk?" Naruto exclaimed, resting his hands on the table.

"I was waiting to see if you were going to add any more detail to your question," Shino murmured back, his glasses flashing. "However, repeating my answer from before, I believe the test we had just taken was… _fair_. I'm anticipating good marks at the end of today."

Naruto blinked.

Man. And he thought Sasuke was wound up. Shino, on his end, was just as quiet as the Uchiha, but went about it in his own way. Then, when he actually provided some descent input into anything, he only said what he needed to say and nothing else. They were very short, untimely responses, mostly due to the long pauses. This was something he picked up in class whenever Shino answered a question, and it sort of put Naruto off a bit. It was enough to make him feel like not wanting to continue a prolonged conversation with the guy.

Actually, with the way he responded, Naruto was wondering whether Shino was much for talking in the first place. It wasn't a really social response. He was pretty damn passive for a normal person.

The jinchuriki just smiled weakly and looked away.

"That's cool, Shino," Naruto chuckled. "I just wanted to know how well you did in your test, that's all…"

"And… how did _you_ do, Naruto Uzumaki?" Shino asked in kind, his expression and tone unchanged.

The jinchuriki glanced over at him, raising his head somewhat. "Hnn… fairly well. I studied all night."

"I see," Shino nodded back. Satisfied with that answer, the boy looked back towards the front, continuing his wait for the final stage of the exams. "Best of luck to you."

"You too," Naruto replied, and rested his chin back on the table. For the next minute or so, the jinchuriki threw odd glances over at his glasses wearing classmate, unable to shake the chill that ran down his spine every time he did so. _"Man… that guy creeps me out sometimes."_

It took Iruka some time, but he eventually filed through all of the tests he had collected from his students. After checking to make sure he had ticked off all of the names present, he put the sheets into a separate folder and collected all the other nonessential documents on his workspace into his arms. He then rose to his feet, his movements silencing everyone in the room and drawing the class's attention towards him.

"Okay. Now that your written tests are over and done with, we can move on to the final phase of the examination process," Iruka announced, arm behind his back as he looked down at his clipboard and the list of student names provided. "In order to obtain a solid pass, you'll have to do a _Bunshin no Jutsu_ and produce two clones. When you're called up, come in to the next room…"

"_Ugh… jutsu!"_ Naruto thought with a look of dread on his face, during which time Iruka exited the classroom with the first student on his list in tow._ "Even after all that time practicing I still can't do a single one. Why?" _He dropped his right hand in front of him where he laid with his chin on the cold surface of the table, and glared at his palm. Flexing his fingers a few times, he then scrunched it up into a tight fist. _"Is it because of these… __**things**__ attached to my wrists? Am I not doing it right or what? COME ON!"_

From that point onwards, Naruto spent whatever free time he had in between the present and his Clone Jutsu test, trying to perform a descent Bunshin in class, while one after the other, students were called into the room next door to take their final test. But despite his efforts, the young blonde just could muster any chakra during the transformation process. He even tried hopping on top of his desk and trying a stand-up approach, but it was no use.

While he was squatting with his hands formed into the correct seal and his face looking like he was going to drop a hard one, several of the students around him couldn't help but notice his plight.

"What in the world are you doing?" Shikamaru asked, walking down the stairs towards the door, hands in his pockets and looking like he didn't care… well… looking like he didn't care about anything going on really. Although, he was a bit concerned over the blonde's public display.

Naruto glared down at his classmate from where he stood on the desk. "Why? Is it bothering you?"

"Look, it's not that hard. The toilet is down the hall, sixth door on the left with a little man on the front. You can't miss it," Shikamaru thumbed over his shoulder. He was willing to guess what his eccentric friend was doing, but he had half a mind thinking that it probably wasn't what his other half was imagining.

A tick mark formed on the jinchuriki's head, followed by gritted teeth which he directed down at the lazy, good-for-nothing. "I'm not trying to take a dump! I'm trying to perform a jutsu!"

"Yeah… well…" Shikamaru picked at his ear and flicked the excess wax away after digging it out. "Either way, it's not that hard. Good luck with whatever it is you're trying to accomplish. What a drag," the boy muttered before continuing on his way out of the room.

Naruto shook his head and proceeded from then on, while several of the other potential Genin sitting around him snickered.

Eventually, Naruto was called into the next room to undergo his final phase of the exam. Dropping down from the desk, the blonde marched out of the class and into the next one, where he was placed in the middle of an empty hall with his two senseis Iruka and Mizuki sitting at a desk in front of him. The two Chunin watched and waited patiently, as the jinchuriki took a stance and formed a hand seal.

"_I've got to try…" _Naruto shut his eyes tightly and gathered his chakra. _"Please… just one! Ple-eease!" _But the results were the same as before.

Try as he might, he could gather his chakra, but couldn't do anything with it. It just sat stone cold in his stomach.

Eventually, after several minutes, both Chunin grew impatient. They only continued to watch him to the point where sweat began spilling from his face and he turned blue. By which time, they both decided to call it a day on the boy wonder. Iruka shook his head and simply ticked off Naruto's name, whereas Mizuki was laughing on the inside as he sat back with his arms folded, watching the blonde struggle.

"That's okay, Naruto," Iruka smiled up at the boy, who then keeled over onto his back, landing with a loud thud on the floor. Clearly, even with his persistence, he had given up. "You pass… _barely_. Come on…" The scarred shinobi picked up one of the headbands on the table and held it up, emphasizing that his student had at least made it through academy, at last.

The youngster quickly recovered from his collapse, and after the dizziness faded, Naruto wasted no time in picking himself up and jogging on over to collect his long awaited prize.

"Are you sure you want to pass him, Iruka?" Mizuki asked with concern, glancing over at his companion as he handed the headgear over to the eager teen. "I mean… he hasn't been able to perform any jutsu successfully throughout his years at the academy. He's failed two times, and it was always at this point…"

"Nobody is perfect, Mizuki," Iruka replied as he commented in the space under Naruto's name for the record. In the meantime, the blonde in question was leaping around the room in front of them happily, hugging the headband to him as if it were a treasured possession returned to him. "I trust him to work hard… and that's all I need to have faith in him…"

"But…"

"Besides," Iruka smirked over at the other teacher. "I was distinctly reminded by the Hokage that there were a couple of past students who did pass, and that they had no talent for jutsu whatsoever." The Chunin nodded his head affirmatively and then turned towards the subject under discussion, while Mizuki remained quiet where he sat, unable to deter his comrade from his decision. "Alright Naruto, you can go."

"Yatta!" the blonde exclaimed, wrapping the headband around his head and giving his teacher the thumbs-up. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei!" the boy shouted and, without a moment to waste, ran out of the room.

The scarred Chunin who had been thanked shook his head with a small smile and rose to his feet, intent on retrieving the next student. This left Mizuki sitting in his chair, glaring out the door Naruto had recently dashed through.

"_Hmph… it can't be helped. Guess I'm going to have to do this chore myself…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Later that afternoon…<strong>

Iruka sat outside in the hallway of the hospital he had taken Naruto to. If there was any place a shinobi was going to get their body checked for any faults or, in regards to shinobi as well, their chakra network, then it was here. The Chunin had decided to drop him on a specialist this time in one of the departments, a Hyuuga who was well rehearsed in treating the chakra network throughout the body. If there was a problem with Naruto then that person was the one to visit.

After about an hour of waiting, Iruka got the wake-up call he needed from his bench. As soon as the door to the office opened, the Chunin was on his feet and facing the doctor who had finished her checkup on Naruto. The woman with long brown hair and wearing a light and dark blue, flower patterned kimono was going over the documents on her clipboard when she looked up to see Iruka standing right in front of her. The crystal eyed Hyuuga acknowledged his presence with a nod.

"Well?" Iruka asked with shrug. "How is he?"

"In terms of physical and mental health… a perfect male specimen," the woman replied, flipping a page on her clipboard over and skim reading her notes. "He's extremely fit for a boy his age, clean and well rested. However, I advice you may want to consider adding more vegetables to his diet. He told me in detail what he had for lunch today and I'm a bit surprised that broth hasn't been found in his bloodstream yet…"

Iruka furrowed his brow. "I'll take that as a side note, ma'am. What I mean is; how is his chakra network?"

The Hyuuga woman then developed a very puzzled expression as she flipped another page, and scrolled down it to the issues at hand, if there were any. She considered the information she had documented on her checkup to be quite perplexing and after a minute or so, looked back up at the Chunin curiously.

"So you're saying he can't perform any jutsu?"

"Yes," Iruka folded his arms and gave her a firm nod to affirm. "I've been teaching him for years and have even brought him in for several face-to-face catch-up lessons in his spare time. He's got the basic steps and processes down, and he's also physically worked over the steps himself. But…" The Chunin shrugged. "It's been two years and… well… nothing."

"I see. Well… that's certainly interesting," the woman replied, looking back down at her charts and sliding her pen off of its catch. Clicking it, she began scribbling the information she was given down. "I'm surprised that the other doctors didn't find anything wrong with him."

"Why do you say that?" Iruka asked, concern now lacing in with his serious tone of voice.

"According to these scans, his chakra network throughout most of his body is fine," the Hyuuga explained, moving closer to the Chunin and showing him the scans of Naruto's spiritual and physical energy system. She began pointing out the key areas of the boy's body, around the stomach, head and limbs. She even emphasized the various points along the branches of the chakra passages, having made sure to account for everything. "Note: there are no blockages around the left side of his body, heart or stomach. His chakra flow is smooth and unbroken, so there shouldn't be any issues with him learning the advanced exercises _as_ a Genin, such as the tree climbing and water walking exercises."

"So… what's the problem?" Iruka asked.

"After I scanned him, I found some irregularities that I have never seen in a patient before," the Hyuuga informed and turned to another scan, pointing out Naruto's right arm and circling it with her red pen to draw the Chunin's attention to the problem. "He has a huge well of chakra… more chakra than I have ever seen in a human being, and I'm not talking about his umm…_ 'clears throat'_…resident. All of that chakra is his. Chunin, Jonin… not even the Hokage's levels come even close to the amount of energy that he has. But that's not the problem. The problem is _**here**_; his arm leading from the shoulder down. The chakra passages aren't blocked and the key points aren't obstructing any flow. The network there is completely open, so his chakra should be fluid through there all the way through to his hand and fingers. But for some reason, it's not. There is no chakra going through there whatsoever. It's like its being nullified or pushed back."

"Is that bad?"

"For a ninja who relies solely on jutsu; yes. But this boy doesn't, so it's okay," the doctor stated and then moved the board back into her view to analyze it a bit more closely. "This is something that can easily be overlooked, and it has. You can look at him time and again on the outside and test him physically, and you'll find nothing wrong. However, deep underneath the skin it's a completely different story. I had to use my Byakugan to examine the full extent of the problem."

"Really?" Iruka asked incredulously.

"Believe me, even I found it difficult trying to spot the abnormality," the woman looked back up at the man with a firm gaze. "I don't know why. Usually I can see the chakra network as clear as day, but around that boy my Byakugan suddenly went hazy. I got a headache just from looking him over."

"Hmm…" Iruka murmured, looking away. _"That's unusual. Naruto isn't that hard to figure out. This ability issue seems to extend far beyond __**his**__ chakra network. It's even affecting others around him…"_

"This explains why young Naruto can't perform any jutsu," she continued, tapping the board. "A normal shinobi would have a steady chakra flow throughout their entire body. The balance of yin and yang is maintained via the limbs and molded through hand seals from the center of the chakra network, where chakra manifests itself. It's what allows a shinobi, even a novice, to perform the most basic of techniques. I'm surprised Naruto could actually feel his chakra to begin with. To be able to manifest it in the conventional way, in his case, would be impossible. That arm is causing him way too many problems, so he can't perform jutsu using normal hand seals. It cancels out his chakra and stops its flow completely."

She then showed him the chart under the one she was on, showing a blue branch area around the body which Iruka assumed was Naruto's normal chakra network. Then he was drawn to the arm in question, where instead of seeing blue chakra, he saw a purple tree effect branching from the shoulder down.

"What is that?" Iruka asked.

"I have no clue," the Hyuuga shook her head. "Whatever it is, it's beyond me. His chakra network isn't damaged, he has _plenty_ of energy to share with an entire army, and there are no physical or mental abnormalities causing this effect. I'm… pretty much at a loss. But whatever this is…" She closed up her clipboard and tucked it under her arm. "It's a _unique_ case. Young Naruto will need to find out a new way to perform jutsu without hand seals if that right arm of his is going to keep getting in the way. There is nothing I can do about it."

Iruka nodded in understanding. "T-Thank you very much. I'll… I'll take care of it." He then gestured towards her office. "Is he… okay?"

The woman nodded with a wave of her hand. "Yes. He's fine. You can take him home now. He took the information better then I expected, what with the rabble he's caused to us in the past after each of his visits." She shook her head in dismay as she departed, both amused and distraught at the memories she has had in this hospital involving her compatriots having to deal with the troublesome youngster. "My goodness…"

Iruka smiled a bit when the doctor left, but then quickly turned his attention to the room. Just as he was about to open the door, it opened for him and Naruto came stepping out, zipping up his jacket with his headband hanging around his neck. Looking about, the blonde then looked up into his sensei's concerned face, which he returned with a smile.

"Hey Iruka-sensei!" Naruto grinned. "That doctor lady was very nice…"

"Yes, yes, Naruto, she was," Iruka cleared his throat and adjusted his collar. "Anyway… are you feeling okay? I mean… I'm sure the doctor already told you what is wrong with y-"

"It's okay, sensei," the jinchuriki replied quickly, closing the door behind him and showing the man his right hand. He flexed it several times, as if it were an interesting show-and-tell item. "It's _this_ isn't it? I can't control my chakra properly because of my right hand and arm, right?"

"Riii-ght," the Chunin replied with an affirmative nod, now slowly starting to feel a little bit anxious of what Naruto was really thinking about his current situation. Not really being the brightest kid, he was still the most spontaneous student he had ever known, so Iruka had a right to feel concerned… for a _**whoo-le**_ lot of reasons. _"Please don't come up with any stupid ideas, Naruto… please…"_

"So… if I want to be able to use jutsu just like everybody else in my class, I have to… **chop** off my arm and sew a new one on, right?" Naruto asked excitedly.

Really, he sounded all too enthusiastic over the idea.

He thought it was brilliant.

Iruka on the other hand, had it placed flat against his face.

"_Okay… please don't come up with anything stupid or crazy. Ugh,"_ Iruka rubbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head in dismay

He then immediately placed his hand on the boy's shoulder to calm him down. "Naruto, you _can't_ just chop off your own arm and put a new one on just because you can't use any jutsu. It still won't solve your problem of how you're going to be able to use ninja techniques with your hands. It's something you'll be and _**I**_ _**am**_ disappointed at you for just thinking about."

This statement had Naruto's excitement, as well as his eagerness to go through with his plan, plummet. After coming so close to an easy solution to his dilemma, his teacher immediately went and forbade it, or made it seem to the boy that he had forbidden it. But Iruka was impressionable that way.

"B-But… sensei?"

"Look, it's not the end of the world, and it certainly isn't something you can go and start mutilating your body over. It's not right," Iruka lowered himself down to one knee and began explaining the situation to his student on a more eye-to-eye level. He braced the boy by both his shoulders and lightly shook him, just to make sure he was paying attention. "Listen, even though you can't use jutsu with the hand seals you've learned in class, you can still be a ninja. There are ninja in our village who can't use jutsu or don't use any because they choose not to."

Naruto blinked in surprise, and dropped his hands to his sides at this new reality. "R-Really?"

Iruka smiled and nodded. "It's true. Maybe, if you're lucky, someday you might run into one or two of them around Konoha. You'll never know," the teacher informed, with Naruto smiling at the prospect of being able to meet famous and awesome shinobi who didn't use ninjutsu techniques at all.

"This is a big village and it is an even bigger world out there. People just have to cope with what they have and adapt to whatever the world throws at them, just like how you'll have to learn to live with your troublesome right arm. You can still use chakra, but you'll have to master it in a different way, and I think I can help you along with that." With that said, the man then rose to his feet. Letting out a sigh of relief, he then decided to focus more on the new concept he had in mind that he knew would help the young jinchuriki out.

After all, he wouldn't be able to call himself a teacher if he didn't guide his students in the right direction every once in a while.

"There are easier ways to solving your problem other than senselessly chopping your arms off."

"Oh?" Naruto blinked and placed his hand on his chin in thought. After a brief moment of contemplation, he looked back up at his teacher. "Like… working hard to be an awesome ninja without jutsu?"

"Lucky guess," Iruka chuckled and began leading the boy on down the hallway. "There are things that you can learn that I wasn't able to teach you in class; stuff that you're expected to learn by yourself. _You_ especially, need to teach yourself how to use completely different techniques that you can employ without your chakra."

"Like what, sensei?" Naruto asked curiously, looking up at his teacher after fastening his headband back onto his forehead.

"Well… I'll show you…"

* * *

><p><strong>Sometime later…<strong>

**Konoha Library…**

"Why… do we have… to be _here_… sensei?" Naruto whined out in a strained voice, while carrying a stack of at least a dozen books in his arms, at the same time waddling after his teacher whom was patrolling the surrounding shelves, accompanied by a young lady who had volunteered to help them out. "I hate the library… and I _hate_ books!"

Naruto's practical shout had nearby patrons shush at him. The blonde quickly clamped his mouth shut as dictated by the other visitors and simply resigned himself to following his sensei. To him, this was torture. But to Iruka, it was more like a pleasure walk.

The man hummed to himself as he skimmed over the backs of the books left and right. The shelves literally ran up to the roof, which had to be ten feet above them. For all those articles that they couldn't reach on their own, the young lady, who had to be at least a couple of years older than Naruto, ran up and down the sliding ladder to collect those books. She had light blonde, slightly unkempt hair hung back in a ponytail, wore glasses with a swirl pattern in them, and a white coat over a red dress, casual gear, and her ninja headband worn around her waist. Despite her age, she was quite intimate with the library, and knew exactly what Naruto needed as she scaled the shelves up and down at a comfortably hurried pace.

She also sung herself a happy tune to fill in the white noise around them while she scanned the upper levels of the shelves, plucking another desirable book from the top.

"Let's see… _Outdoor Survival Volume 1_… you'll definitely need this… oh… _**and**_ _Volume 2_!" the girl named Shiho exclaimed, and slid down the ladder back to the floor. As soon as she hit carpet, she placed the two books on Naruto's already significant pile.

So far, the stack the jinchuriki was struggling to carry consisted of stealth and taijutsu basics and advancements, an assortment of materials that would teach him how to cope in the wild when supplies were low or naught, weapons maintenance, ninjutsu and genjutsu albums and how to identify them, and three copies of physical exercises and fighting forms to go with his taijutsu. It was a pretty hefty load, which Naruto could feel in his lower back and shoulders.

"Iruka… sensei!" Naruto hissed, feeling a copy of _Basic Hand Seals_ weigh him down even more. "Is this… _enough_?" His body was trembling under the pressure at this point.

"Geez, Naruto. You can split logs two meters thick, yet a few light reading articles are weighing you down?" Iruka asked with a grin. "Perhaps I've overestimated your strength?"

"No… not… at… _all_…" Naruto panted, gritting his teeth as he propped the stack up even more to balance his core. "It's just… a cramp… in my thigh. Nothing big." The blonde quickly shook it off, hoping this little excursion wouldn't cost him his headband on his first day. Iruka had to suppress a little laugh at his complaints.

Shiho hummed as she ran the ladder down the isle and stopped midway. Clambering up some, she then plucked what looked like a really heavy book on Sealing Techniques. On her way down, she then spotted an old looking book she knew quite well, which was just sitting there. Shrugging her shoulders, she plucked that as well and clambered down the rest of the way. Landing in front of her fellow ninjas, she then systematically placed the two items on top of the overloaded, walking cart.

"You'll need _this_, _**this**_, aaaa-nd…" She jogged over to the other side of the isle, grabbed a copy of _Explosive Tags: How not to get your legs blown off_, and skipped back over. "This!" That one book had Naruto drop down some more. The boy broke out into a sweat as he attempted to maintain his balance, while Shiho dusted her hands down with a grin. "There… that should do it."

"Thank Kami…" Naruto wheezed. Iruka grinned and patted him on the back.

"Oh yes, this truly is a God-send," the Chunin replied before smiling over at the girl who had assisted them. "Thanks very much, Shiho. I really appreciate this."

"Not to worry," the girl exclaimed, adjusting her glasses as she strolled over to another section of the isle they were in, and pulling another book out from between its cousins. "I was a Genin once, so I know exactly what he needs. Hmm…" She studied the title: _Explosive Tags: How to Master their Fire_. She then walked over to Naruto and placed that one on top of the other.

"Oh, Come on!"

"_**Shhh!" **_Several of the other library attendants hushed, glaring at the loud boy responsible for yet another outburst.

Naruto grinned nervously and in embarrassment, and waved back at them.

"Sorry…"

"Well now… let's get you acquainted to all these books I picked out for you!" Shiho giggled, and hurried both the ninja back down the rows of shelves towards the seating area. "Come! Come! Time is essential for a shinobi's learning, which is something we have little of, I'm afraid."

She took the pair to one of the vacant cubicles along one of the library's walls and planted the boy and his reading material there. Once he had placed the books down and got the wind back into him, Naruto then took the very first book he was given, which was a volume on basic ninja tactics and stealth, and pulled up a chair. It was a heavy read in its own right, which made him quite discouraged at the idea of reading it. But Iruka, regardless of his student's reluctance or his expression of doubt, opened the book up to the first chapter and slapped his finger down on the very first word.

"Get to it, Naruto," Iruka exclaimed and ruffled his hair. "This book isn't going to read itself."

"But Iruka-sensei!" Naruto spun around in his seat and looked pleadingly up at his teacher. "I can't read all these books at once! It'll kill me!"

"Well then, be smart about it. I'm not asking you to read all of them today or in one night. Pace yourself, work at it, and read a bit every day between your lunch breaks and training, until you've finished, and then read some more. Rinse and repeat," Iruka stated, and tapped the side of his head. "Just remember: the sharpest tool in a shinobi's arsenal isn't his techniques, his swords or his kunai; it is his _brain_."

"His brain?" Naruto blinked out of his distressed appearance from his teacher's statement. "Are you sure?" The boy tried running a finger down the side of his head to test his theory, but then when he looked down at his fingertip, he saw no blood. "It doesn't seem that sharp to me."

Iruka shook his head in dismay at what he saw his student try to accomplish from his actions, while Shiho giggled on the sidelines, trying not to lose it. He didn't know whether it was a joke or not, but he knew the boy wasn't one to miss a beat with these things. Regardless of its hilarity, the academy teacher knew he had to make this work for the boy, or risk losing him the moment he stepped out on his first mission.

The scarred Chunin took Naruto by the shoulders and shook him out of his daze, drawing the youngster's attention back up to him. "This is no joke, Naruto. This is _important_. Listen to me: a carpenter may have all the right tools and equipment he needs, but without the knowledge or the proper instructions on how to follow-through with his craftsmanship, he can't build the floor or fix the house he is working on. This is the same principle that applies to us shinobi. If you're on a mission, and you approach an objective without a well constructed plan, you _will_ be _killed_." Naruto visibly flinched at that and how Iruka emphasized the word 'killed' in his sentence. "Without the knowledge or the correct methods on how to use your techniques or your tools, and you run into a fight without thinking first, you will also be _killed_. You can endanger yourself and your comrades if you don't know what you're doing or how you're going to accomplish your objective!"

Naruto gulped at the seriousness in his teacher's voice and the information he was being given, and looked back at the pile of books in front of him.

"Out of all the material in Konohagakure, _these_ books are our most important resource. They detail our village's history, our lives, and are the foundations to everything we have ever built or are going to build," Iruka informed, folding his arms. "If it weren't for these books, all our past shinobi would have been nothing more than pig farmers and beggars. Use these books to carry on our village's legacy, learn new and awesome techniques, learn of our history, our tactics, and come up with your own techniques and tactics once you've mastered the ones you can. These books will guarantee your success in the future."

At this point, the large stacks of assorted reading material were starting to look more appetizing to the new Genin.

Iruka grinned behind the boy's back.

The Chunin knew full-well of Naruto's reluctance of reading stuff he didn't know about, as well as his dislike of reading vast amounts given to him. This was accentuated in the amount of homework he gave out and got back, with Naruto either doing the absolute minimum or forgetting it completely. Only when his situations seemed desperate would he cram, and _cram_ he did. It was how he was able to pass his final written test with an eighty, which was an incredible jump from the forties and sixties he was getting beforehand.

What Naruto needed was literary practice, and by Kami, Iruka was going to make him work on it.

If there was any time he was going to make up for Naruto's lost ground over the years, this was it. He was the only one who could get him to, if no one else.

Seeing Naruto on the brink, Iruka pushed one last time, slamming his hand down on the open book in front of the boy… _hard_, literally shaking the entire cubicle.

"I figured it would piss you off, Naruto!" Iruka shouted unexpectedly right into the boy's ear. "To have your classmates _mock_ you for so long! Kiba! Ino! Amy! Sasuke! What are you going to do about them? HUH!"

Naruto's eyes widened at his teacher's words. The reminder of those names struck a chord deep within him and out of the blue, the voices of his classmates and their laughter from yesteryear began filling his ears.

"_Ha! What a dumbass! Failed again?" Kiba chuckled. "You're nothing but a loser, a dead-last… the underdog!"_

"_How do you become Hokage if you can't even understand the simplest of things, you idiot?" Ino frowned. "All you'll do is get yourself killed." _The idea of her folding her arms and scolding him filled his head with frustration, which caused him to clench his fists angrily.

"_You're a moron. That's all you'll be… it's all you'll __**ever**__ be," Amy stated with a prideful grin. "Morons don't become Hokage, especially a failure like you!"_

"_Heh, loser," Sasuke chuckled, his smirk being the biggest one of them all._

More and more faces filled Naruto's head, his ears becoming clouded with laughter and past mockery. His fists clenched even tighter and his teeth gritted. With a loud growl, Naruto slammed his fist on the table together and turned to glare up at Iruka, pointing at him.

"ALRIGHT, DAMMIT! YOU'RE ON, SENSEI!" Naruto roared and quickly turned back to his book, his eyes falling onto the chapter in front of him as if it were an opponent glaring him down. With his new mindset established, he began reading what was laid out before him. "I will read _every_ _single_ book you throw at me and become an awesome Hokage! The _best_ Hokage! Just you watch!"

Iruka grinned and patted him on the back. "That's the spirit!"

"Excuse me, sir!" Just like that, the mood just melted away.

An old woman's voice filled the air, causing Iruka to freeze instantaneously and stand stock straight on the spot directly outside of their cubicle.

Slowly turning around, the scarred Chunin came face to face with the librarian. The woman wearing arced glasses and the red kimono looked to be around her eighties, an appeal that was often mistaken for a harmless and kind hearted individual. However, despite her appearance, she had the reflexes of a cat and the strength of an ox. With a swift swipe and a vice like grip, she grabbed Iruka by the ear and pulled him down to her level.

Since she stood a couple of feet beneath his nose, it was pretty amusing to see Iruka get man-handled like he was.

The Chunin was forcefully bent over rather painfully with a red, throbbing ear.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"We do not tolerate loud shinobi in this library!" the librarian informed coldly, before turning heel and marching towards the exit with her troublesome quarry in tow. The man cried out at the fingernails piercing his earlobe as he was dragged across the room. "I suggest you take your big mouth and your misguided enthusiasm outside, young man. Take it out on the training fields, not the books!"

"B-B-But… OW!" Iruka whined and winced as he was tugged around the corner. Before he was completely out of sight however, he turned back to Naruto. With his last ounce of strength, he called out with an extended hand. "Shiho! Teach him in my stead! I'm counting on you! OOOOWWWW!"

The girl watched the man disappear and after hearing the sound of the doors revolving on their hinges as he was ungraciously kicked out, turned back to Naruto. When she did, she saw that his attention was still fixed on the book and not on the commotion.

It was an interesting spectacle.

Shadowing him for a minute or so, the young girl watched him study. He seemed to be stressed out at first, and appeared to be rereading the same text over and over again, apparently having found something important. At this sight, Shiho then got an idea and ran around to the library desk where she normally worked. After rummaging through the materials in the cabinets for a moment, she then jogged back and placed a pen and a blank, hard cover text book beside the boy. Naruto looked down at it in surprise, before glancing up at the blonde haired girl as she planted herself in the chair beside him.

She smiled and gestured towards the new goods she had provided for him. "Here. You can use these to help you in your study. Write down everything that you find useful."

Naruto took the blank book and considered it.

Momentarily looking it over from cover to cover, he then smirked and opened it to the first page. Taking up the pen, he put his dominant hand to work and at the same time flipped through the chapters set before him.

For the next few hours he would remain in the library, with Shiho sitting right beside him to oversee his progress, and assist him when needed.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night…<strong>

Hiruzen Sarutobi was feeling a lot more cheerful this afternoon. Although the ruckus the other day with the Hokage Monument did cause somewhat of a small headache for him, it was nothing big. Because today; it was all quiet.

No shinobi rushing into his office with an emergency, no messages of impending doom, no threats of invasion made from other surrounding nations, and no news whatsoever of a little boy with blonde hair and wearing orange causing any havoc around his village. So far today, Konohagakure was absolutely silent. Not a whisper on the wind or any signs of disturbance.

That was the way he liked it.

His hat off for the day and with time to spare, the Third Hokage decided to go to his living room for a nice hot cup of tea and a nap. After all, it has been a while since he had had an afternoon all to himself. It was ample time for him to contemplate on past memories and give further thought to the future; with all considerations towards a better one.

He needed to keep his mind clear.

While making his way down the hallway, the small smile he was wearing as he puffed on his pipe suddenly vanished. Pausing for but a moment, the elder perked an eyebrow and veered to the right, stepping off of his intended path.

It seems… things weren't as quiet as he was hoping for.

Traversing down a different corridor, he came to a stop just outside of his reading room across from the _Scroll Storage Room_. This part of the mansion had been built back in the time of Hashirama Senju and was designed to store all the closely guarded secrets of the Kages. The entrances had been premeditated to alert the current resident of the mansion of any intruders, which was why the Third was here to investigate. Access was only permitted to authorized personnel and the present, reigning Hokage.

Somebody was boldly overstepping their boundaries.

Huffing on his pipe, the Third entered the reading room soundlessly and with no hint of worry whatsoever.

Treading carefully in the dark for several paces, the old man then effortlessly reached out and with a flick of the switch, turned the lights on. The overhead illuminators blinked into life and lit up the entire room in a bright orange glow. A hardwood floor with white walls and railings up in the ceiling, and shelves of assorted books and scrolls lined up along the lengths of walls were the primary fixtures of the hall. There was also a reading desk set up against the far side of the room with a comfy chair seated alongside it, making up the definitive aspects of the chamber.

There was no place like a private study area.

Hiruzen walked up to his desk and looked down at the empty seat momentarily. He then sighed and looked up, his expression conveying his lack of amusement to the situation.

"What are you doing in my house, Naruto?" the Third asked to the wall in front of him, but meant it for the set of ears hiding up in the rafters.

A split second later, a body fell from the shadows of the railings above and landed with a loud thud against the hard floor. The Third turned around and glanced down at the blonde staggering back to his feet, a bundle of scrolls in his arms and a large one hanging from his back. The elder raised an eyebrow while he watched the boy gather up the articles he had dropped before grinning at the village leader.

"Heh… hey, Sarutobi-jiji," Naruto grinned.

"Naruto," Hiruzen grumbled with his voice set on a low tone and close to dangerous. "Have you resorted to stealing from me?"

"Huh. Oh! N-N-N-No! No! Of course not! Why would I steal from you, oji-san?" Naruto hurriedly replied, trying not to drop the scrolls as he hopped over to the reading desk and deposited them on top of it. Leaving the big one to hang at his side from the strap over his shoulder, he then staggered back a bit and stood before the Hokage with his hands behind his back and a shame filled look on his face. "I-I'm sorry, jiji. It won't happen again."

The Hokage sighed as he shook his head down at the boy. "That's quite alright, lad." He removed the pipe from his lips and then gestured down at the other item hanging at his side. "Why do you have the First Hokage's _Scroll of Seals_ with you?"

"Oh?" Naruto jumped a bit, before fumbling around to move the giant article into view. He removed the strap from his neck and propped the scroll upright in front of him, with a wide, beaming grin on his face. "You mean this?"

"Yes… _that_," the elder replied, lowering his pipe and giving the boy a sterner gaze. "Did you take that from the vault?"

Naruto nodded his head excitedly, earning another mumble from the Hokage as he tapped the tip of his pipe against his balding head.

"Naruto… that is a very dangerous relic you are holding," Hiruzen murmured, looking down upon the object as if it were a cursed item. "The First Hokage sealed away many Forbidden Techniques within that object and locked it away in this mansion, so that no other ninja could learn of its secrets. There are kinjutsu of the worst kind on that scroll you are holding, harmful abilities that are not to be performed even by the most formidable of shinobi, particularly a young upstart such as you." Naruto's face fell at this news, and watched as the Hokage stepped forward and tapped against the side of it.

"Why on earth would you come to my place seeking such a thing?"

Blinking, Naruto then smiled again and rushed to the desk. He laid the giant scroll down on it and unfurled it a bit, before turning back to the village leader.

"So I can learn ninjutsu, jiji!"

"So you can learn… _ninjutsu_?"

Naruto nodded his head feverishly. "Yup! Yup! I read in one of the books that Shiho-chan gave me that the Hokage mansion had mountains of scrolls in the storage rooms, containing all sorts of techniques throughout our village's history. I figured, because I can't use normal hand seals like everybody else, maybe I could find a technique in one of these scrolls that even I could use… because I can't use normal ninjutsu." The blonde frowned a bit at this and looked down at his hands.

Glancing from palm to palm, he clenched both his fists tightly and looked back up at the Third with determination evident on his face. "Iruka-sensei said that I could learn new techniques by reading! So I came here to learn from the Kage scrolls, because the Hokage can do everything! Right?"

Hiruzen considered the boy's words for a while, his face scrunching up a bit after listening to the youngster's exclamations. He then smiled slightly after his mind worked around the information in his head, and he shrugged his shoulders as he watched Naruto jump back into a stance and set his fingers in a cross like seal.

It was one of the first techniques he had learned from the _Scroll of Seals_, and he was determined to make at least one of the jutsu work.

"See! If I can use hand seals that aren't like the ones taught at the academy, than maybe I can finally perform ninja techniques!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin. The Third stepped away with his attention fixated on the youngster, pipe hanging from his mouth and hands behind his back.

Curious to see what the boy had learned from his brief period here, Hiruzen observed as the jinchuriki concentrated hard and began the simple process of molding chakra.

Well, attempted to.

The Hokage unflinching watched Naruto struggle, puffing on his pipe lightly as the boy tried to produce a jutsu. However, after several unyielding attempts, the jinchuriki eventually threw in the towel and grabbed his right wrist with his left, and throttled it. He was glowing red with frustration by the time the minute of practical experimentation was over.

"STUPID ARM!" the boy roared, shaking his limb. "You good for nothing-"

"Calm down, lad," Hiruzen chuckled, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder and ceasing his attack on himself. The spiky haired rookie, crestfallen at yet another failed attempt, glanced up at the village leader when he felt the elder jerk him lightly to get his attention. "Look, I'm sure you've taken Iruka's words to heart, that you can read to learn and surpass all your weaknesses, but… you should really know that there are some things that you just can't learn." The old man then gestured down at the giant article unrolled on the table. "This scroll that you took from my storage room is one of those things that you're not allowed to learn from, with the contents of it better off not learning at all."

"But oji-san," Naruto took the elder's hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "W-What am I going to do about ninjutsu then? I… I want to learn it… but… I just… I can't do it. The doctor says I can't and Iruka-sensei… he… he"

"Well…" the Third sighed and rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully, his pipe still hanging from his mouth.

After a moment of thinking of a way of cheering up the boy and setting him straight, the elder then smiled and refocused attention on the young Genin.

"Listen Naruto, I've lived a long life, and have seen and learnt many things. One of these things that I've learnt is that life isn't easy. But with every obstacle and with every pothole I've encountered over the years, I've corrected myself. I worked my way around those obstacles and hopped over every pothole, and have kept my eyes open for any more with every step that I've taken, yet I still managed to hit some sort of roadblock. I've learnt from every accomplishment and every failure I've had. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded his head slowly, earning a nod of understanding from the Third as well.

The Third took Naruto's right hand and held it up. Examining it momentarily and running his thumb over the boy's palm, he then looked the youngster in the eyes. "You may not know it, but this right hand of yours, despite its misgivings and problems, may become something special one day. You have to learn from these problems that it gives you, and work your way around them." He then lowered the jinchuriki's right hand and picked up his left, performing the same look over before enclosing the boy's fingers around the palm. "Your left hand possesses none of the problems the right one does. So learn to use techniques with your left instead of your right. Be creative."

Naruto blinked and raised both his hands to look at them again. He made sure to give them a thorough examination himself, but then had his eyes stray to the scrolls he had deposited on the desk. His mind trailed over every possibility, accompanied with the new information he was receiving from the village leader.

After one or two glances, Naruto then turned his attention back to the Third Hokage to see him still smiling at him.

The elder placed his hand on the jinchuriki's head, in a comforting manner to ease the trials going through his mind.

"I know you're a bright young boy, Naruto, one who is just beginning to discover his true potential. You just have to open yourself up a little bit more," Hiruzen exclaimed. "Try not to ask too many questions. If you can, try and answer them for yourself." The elderly shinobi then straightened up and took the pipe out of his mouth, blowing a ring of smoke into the air space in front of him.

He laughed quietly at his next thought, but made the following statement clear enough for his lowly, young audience to hear. "Though the idea may sound a little bit farfetched, why not? If you can't use ninjutsu with both hands, then try going through the seals with only your left hand and follow the processes from there. Who knows… if you can make it work, then you might just be able to perform ninja techniques yet."

Naruto's eyes widened a little and looked down at the solitary hand in question. However, before he had a chance to explore this proposed concept, he was suddenly turned on his heels and hurried out of the room by the old Kage. The village leader gently shuffled him out into the corridor, using the boy's stupor to gently comb him out of his hair.

"Come on, lad. Time to go home," Hiruzen chuckled. "You can practice the new techniques you've learnt out on the field. I'm sure you've picked up one or two things from your many library excursions today." After being gently nudged out the door, the boy turned around to face his idol. When he craned his head upwards, the jinchuriki was met with an amused smirk from the old man.

"Try not to sneak into my house again, Naruto. I don't want the ANBU getting the wrong ideas. Go on now." Hiruzen gestured down the hall with a nod, indicating the general direction of exit from the premises.

After a nod of understanding, Naruto then smiled and leapt at the old man, hugging him briefly. "Thank you, oji-san."

With a final exchange of smiles and a wave, the Genin then hurried down the corridor and leapt out the nearest window. Not particularly the most civil way to exit a house, but it meant that he was punctually out of the Hokage's way for the time being.

Hiruzen shared a quiet laugh after watching his unexpected guest vacate the area, and turned back to attend to the mess in his reading room.

With his hands behind his back, he waddled over to the desk to collect the deposited scrolls. He only had to spare a brief glance down at the material laid out in front of him to determine that young Naruto had gone through quite a bit of the stuff from the vault. Most of the items of interest were based on unique hand seals and techniques that didn't require any seal weaving whatsoever, with some of the other titles being based on specialist techniques and tactics used only by the Kages, but he figured they were nothing to be concerned about.

Rolling up the ones that were open and collecting them in a bundle, along with the _Scroll of Seals_, the Third prepared to take them back to the room they belonged to.

However, just as he was picking up the last of the articles, he heard a shimmying of gentle footsteps behind him and quirked an eyebrow. The elder's movements stopped altogether when the floorboards behind him creaked at being treaded upon.

He panned his head slightly.

"Judging from the weight of your right foot, I can safely say that you are _not_ the Naruto I saw two minutes ago," the Third Hokage stated, and glared at the figure standing directly behind him. The darkened visage of an exact copy of Naruto, dropped in an aggressive stance and grinning widely, was an indication that this new visitor didn't intend on leaving without causing harm. Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "I take it you didn't drop by for a cup of tea?"

"No. But I will have that scroll you're carrying!" 'Naruto' shouted and tossed a cluster of pellets on the ground.

The tightly wrapped balls detonated simultaneously as the Third Hokage wheeled around to face the enemy. However, due to the weight in his arms and probably a bad leg obtained from one of his past battles, he was unable to face his adversary quickly enough. He also made the mistake of breathing in the purple cloud of fumes that suddenly filled the room, and he soon found himself retching on the thick vapors.

Seconds later, the old Hokage dropped to his knees, discarding the scrolls at the same time to stop his fall. He rested his upper body as best as he could on the desk chair while he continued to cough on the clouds filling his lungs. Tears welled up as a result of the gas and his face broke out into a sweat, the paralyzing agent quickly taking effect.

Mustering up whatever strength he could, the elder glared up through a hazy vision at the Naruto copy strolling into view through the gas.

"Take a nap you old fart," the copycat exclaimed, swooping down and picking up the discarded _Scroll of Seals_. Hanging it from his shoulder, 'Naruto' then stood straight up and flashed his headband at the shinobi hacking on the fumes. "You'll probably need one after this. So long!"

Performing a mock salute the thief then turned and sprinted for the exit, eager to leave the premises and, by extension, the village before anyone caught wind of what has happened.

Hiruzen gritted his teeth and tried to force himself up, but couldn't due to his muscle strength atrophying.

"C-Curses… argh…" His bodyweight seemed to increase tenfold. "That Mizuki… damn him!"

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile…<strong>

**Some ways down the road…**

Naruto had left the Hokage Mansion willingly behind him, not only out of respect for his oldest and kindest mentor, but also to contemplate on what he was recently told by said elder.

As he nudged passed oblivious civilians down a lantern lit street filled with clubs and restaurant, he was too busy staring intently down at his left hand to concentrate on anything else, whereas his right hand was slipped comfortably into his pocket.

It was an odd sight; seeing a boy staring down at his hand while aimlessly following a random, busy road. Not to mention that he wasn't even changing his route for anything.

A lot of the villagers out in the nightly air had to give the blonde troublemaker quite a wide berth, as the jinchuriki had knocked over a noodle cart unintentionally, and had almost nearly walked into several transporters and couriers crisscrossing the boulevard. This lack of contact or attention gave the jinchuriki the environment he needed to contemplate.

"_Could __**that**__ be the answer to my problem?" _Naruto blinked, and stopped in his tracks. _"If my right hand is preventing me from creating jutsu with both, then maybe I should just use my left hand to form the seals. I mean…" _The blonde paused for a moment in thought and looked up. Ahead of him, he saw Kotetsu and Izumo crossing the road to a pub on the other side of the street, with their respective arms around what Naruto suspected were their girlfriends. They were locked in deep, animated discussions with the admirable companions they were entertaining for the evening, and were looking quite happy. This didn't throw Naruto off one bit, as he chose to regard it as typical, off-duty shinobi time. _"I could probably be the first ninja in Konoha to be able to form hand seals with only one hand!"_

Naruto fisted his left hand and thumped it into the air. "I'll go back home and reread my copy of _Hand_ _Seal Basics_. I'll just use the seals designed for the left hand and practice with them… then afterwards, maybe I'll try out some jutsu."

With a new goal set and his resolve to learn ninjutsu strengthened, the smirking jinchuriki turned heel and prepared to head back to his apartment. However, just as he turned around and began a hurried trek back down the avenue he had already marched, he violently and rather inadvertently ran into someone running in the opposite direction.

Both Naruto and the runner roughly brushed by each other's left shoulders and slammed the opposing person in question around on a 180 degree turn. In the end, the two, head-long colliders ended up facing each other on their opponent's previous side of the footpath.

"Hey, watch where y-"

Naruto was about to begin a confrontational argument, only to cut himself off when he realized that he was actually talking to himself…

Literally…

The newly made Genin blinked in surprise as he stared at who he immediately discerned as a doppelganger, who was also glaring back at him in mild surprise. The copy's expression however changed when it also realized who it had bumped into, and stepped back a pace as the twin Narutos sized each other up.

The real jinchuriki looked his duplicate over from head to toe, taking note of the stance he had taken and also the strangely familiar object he had slung over his shoulder.

"W-What? Another me?" Naruto remarked, before turning his attention to the giant scroll under his exact-look-a-like's arm. It only took him a couple of glances before he realized what the article actually was in the other boy's possession. The jinchuriki jumped back somewhat and pointed accusingly at his mirror image with an angry scowl. "You! You stole the _Scroll of Seals_!"

"Stupid, loudmouthed brat!" the copy-Naruto growled back, wrapping a protective arm around his package. At the same time, he looked around at the light crowd of villagers whom had suddenly stopped to look at the commotion starting up between the two hotheaded individuals. _"Great, first I try to pass myself off as the demon spawn, and then I run headlong into him."_

"You… how…? Grrr… you snuck into jiji's home and stole his scroll, didn't you?" Naruto growled and dropped into a confrontational stance of his own. "Give it back!"

"Shut your mouth, you babbling moron," the copy shot back, now becoming increasingly weary of any shinobi that might be nearby. "Don't think that you can stop me. If you get in my way, I'll cut you down!"

"Hmph," Naruto huffed. "You may look exactly like me, but your voice lacks the balance of seriousness and charisma that I have. There's no way I sound that brittle and threatening at the same time."

The copy scowled even harder, and was preparing to draw a kunai when he caught onto the sight a series of shadows hopping across the rooftops in the distance. Glancing up, the fake Naruto tried to make out the fast moving silhouettes and the direction they were heading in, in order to evaluate his situation.

It took him only a moment of observation to realize that the squads of shinobi forces were running towards the Hokage mansion. Judging from the numbers, they must have picked up on the commotion from the sensors at HQ, or were maybe performing a routine check-up, he didn't know. All 'Naruto' knew though was that something was going down, and with everything that has occurred so far, he was more or less leaning towards the idea that the squads of ANBU and Chunin were coming to their leader's aid.

The real Naruto seemed to take notice of his doppelganger's attention lapsing, but ultimately decided to keep his eyes locked on him for the time being, instead of taking action. After all, he had no idea who the person impersonating him was and that if he acted irrationally, it would probably cost him.

"_Dammit… the old man must have raised the alarm,"_ the Naruto-copy thought, shaking his head when he saw the shadows on the horizon disappear, and cursed his luck. _"I thought my gas had stunned him, but even as an old crock the geezer still has some energy to burn. Guess I underestimated him."_

Not wanting to alert his presence to any possible eagle-eyed ANBU nearby as he had already done so with the villagers thanks to the untimely presence of the real Naruto, the copy decided to make a hasty retreat.

The crowd around both him and the jinchuriki had grown, and with the only shinobi for some ways being the Genin in front of him, he figured that this was the best time for him to leave without being discovered.

With a huff, he spun around and began to sprint away.

Naruto however, closed in on him in mere seconds just as he was making a break for it. The spiky haired Genin lunged out with his right hand extended and with a roar, grabbed hold of his doppelgangers arm.

"Hey! We're not done yet you copycat!"

Naruto managed to stop his duplicate, his hand getting a good grip.

However, the moment he made contact, an unexpected result occurred.

A white puff of smoke exploded around and enveloped the Naruto double, surprising the original. Seconds later, after several surprised gasps from the surrounding villagers and some light coughing from the blonde Genin, the cloud dissipated.

When Naruto looked up at his quarry, he got quite a surprise when he found himself glaring up at none other than his other academy teacher Mizuki, who was looking down at him with a shocked look on his face.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	4. Just Try Me

**NARUTO**

**Destiny Breaker**

_Just Try Me_

"W-What's going on?" Naruto blinked, looking up at his teacher with his hand still firmly grasped around his wrist.

In the few seconds that passed, he was unable to tear away from the fact that he was looking up at the thief's true form, the real thief.

The one that had stolen the scroll from the Hokage's Mansion was Mizuki. _His_ teacher.

No matter which way he sliced it, since he thought he knew the Chunin so well, Naruto couldn't understand what was happening.

Mizuki on the other hand, stunned beyond belief as well, blinked in astonishment and looked down at his form to find that he was standing at his normal height and, as an extension of this realization, was back to normal. His henge had dropped on its own accord and he couldn't fathom the reason why.

"_How? I was henged perfectly! How could my technique just fail like that? It's never happened before!" _Mizuki thought and looked up in the midst of his raging thoughts. His eyes fell upon another situation unraveling.

The crowd of villagers surrounding the area of the road broke out into a series of surprised murmurs and gasps. Individuals, couples and groups of onlookers began to chatter amongst themselves in confusion, with the details being drowned out by the sheer number of witnesses on the scene.

This was bad.

Mizuki knew it. His cover was blown and his real identity had been revealed. Now it was no longer the idea that it was the jinchuriki who was responsible for breaking into the mansion and stealing one of the Forbidden Scrolls from the Third's vault. It was _him_, a Konoha shinobi.

The commotion, now escalating in volume, would definitely draw some unwanted attention from any lingering authorities and the Chunin knew that he had to get out of there.

Shaking off the shock of his jutsu's failing, his face scrunched up angrily and he glared down at the boy clamped onto his wrist. With an angry growl, he side kicked Naruto in the stomach, sending him flying at the force of the blow.

At first he thought he landed a clean hit.

However, his reflexes still working away, Naruto managed to cross his arms over his chest in time to take the strike, seconds before he found himself lying on his back many feet away from where he had been standing moments ago. A series of gasps resonated from the crowds when they saw the Chunin take down the youngster without warning or hesitation.

"Get your filthy hands off of me, you brat!" Mizuki bellowed, rounding on the downed Genin as he began to pick himself up off of the ground from the kick. "I don't know what you did to dispel my henge, but I swear to Kami it will be the last time I'll let you do so!"

Naruto shook his head while he pushed himself into a kneeling position and rubbed the forearm he used to block the kick. During which time he glared up at his teacher to see the white haired man glaring at him with frustration framing his features.

"Why…" Naruto groaned, rising to his feet. "Why did you take the scroll, Mizuki-sensei? Is this some kind of a joke or what?"

Spitting to the side, the Chunin grinned as he glared hatefully at the boy. "Geez, that idiot Iruka gives you way too much credit." The man chuckled and threw his arms out, leering at his young opponent. "Well, if you want to know so badly. Fine. Just to help you get to this point faster. Yes. You can call this a _joke_… a trick if you will… the biggest one you'll ever see performed in this entire village. My plan was to become _you_ and steal the _Scroll of Seals_ from the Third Hokage's vault and escape from Konohagakure with it, while leaving the impression that you stole the scroll for yourself!"

"But why me?" Naruto hissed.

"Heh, because you're just too easy," Mizuki exclaimed, his brow furrowing even more as he pointed at the boy. "You're the fool, the idiot, the slippery troublemaker… the one who's always playing tricks on the villagers," the Chunin grinned, wrapping his arm tighter around his prize. "If anything else, this whole thing was just to disgrace you and put enough blame on you so that the higher-ups would have to step in and bring you in for good… maybe even put you down!"

Naruto gritted his teeth and pointed at the man. "You're the one that they're going to put down!"

"Please, I'll be long gone by the time the Chunin and Jonin forces can organize themselves effectively to begin their pursuit, by which time _you_ will be dead!" Mizuki chuckled. "Death is the only thing that befits a demon-!"

"MIZUKI!"

The Chunin talking down at the little scrap standing in front of him flinched when he heard the familiar voice and glanced behind him to confirm his suspicions. He ground his teeth in annoyance when he saw both Kotetsu and Izumo on the road, side by side. Some of the villagers that had witnessed the events up to this point had fanned out in search of help, and had managed to drag the pair out of the club they were in to settle the situation unfolding.

Them being the closest enforcers for some ways, they were the most logical choices to settle this conflict and with their dates standing wearily behind them with the rest of the crowd, it left the two companions to face the betrayer down alone.

Mizuki paid little attention to Naruto from that point, shrugging him off as an inconvenience, and decided to focus on the even bigger problems that had rolled in.

Still, the traitor could only scoff at the benchwarmers now readying themselves for battle.

"What the hell do you two want?" the Chunin growled.

"Is everything you said true? That you stole the scroll for yourself and are trying to incriminate our friend?" Kotetsu demanded rather than asked, drawing a kunai from his side holster. "If so, then we hereby place you under arrest for treason."

"Hand over the _Scroll of Seals_ and come quietly," Izumo stated, also drawing a kunai. "You can't defeat us both."

Mizuki smirked. "I beg to differ-OOF!" The man was cut short from another longwinded speech when he felt a fist and something else jagged impale his stomach.

The man leaned over sharply as he was forced back by the Genin, who he had been yelling at before, tackling him with a power hit, kunai held deftly in his hand. The Chunin spewed up blood and staggered backwards, with Naruto grinning triumphantly beneath him. As an added incentive, he buried the knife even deeper into the shinobi's gut.

"That's for kicking me!" the jinchuriki exclaimed. "Rule Number 1 of shinobi combat: never turn your back on your opponent!"

Kotetsu and Izumo were at first shocked at the decisiveness of the young jinchuriki's attack, but shook it off moments later.

"Nice one, Naruto!" Kotetsu exclaimed.

"DAMN YOU… YOU FUCKING BRAT!" Mizuki cursed angrily. Withstanding the hit as best he could, he then grabbed the boy impaling him by the head and slammed his knee into his stomach. That blow knocked the wind out of Naruto, before the white haired Chunin took him by his hair and threw him off, tossing him towards the crowd.

Villagers barreled out of the way when Naruto was thrown at them, the boy crashing into a stack of crates sitting besides a fruit stand and disappearing into the boxed provisions. The tower of wooden storage units collapsed on top of him, with the ones he was thrown into shattering into splinters.

Naruto groaned, coughing out blood onto his jacket after feeling his stomach and chest cave in after taking the full force of the strike.

He may be a ninja now, but that didn't make him any more immune to an attack. He was still young, and a novice Genin at that… an academy graduate with only 12 hours of experience. Mizuki was a veteran Chunin with unclear years of experience and practice as a ninja. The boy knew immediately that it would have been stupid of him to try and take the man on, one on one, but thanks to the distraction by Izumo and Kotetsu which he took advantage of, the jinchuriki had managed to land a lethal hit.

Naruto chuckled and looked up at the staggered Chunin, whom was clutching his gut tightly and trying to keep his bodily fluids in.

"Ha! I got you good…"

"Damned brat!" Mizuki growled and ripped the knife from his stomach, tossing it away. "I'll make you pay for that!"

The Chunin started towards the downed youngster, aiming to kill him with his bare hands.

The sound of metal tearing through the air however drew his attention away, and he looked to his left where he saw a barrage of kunai sailing towards him. He stepped back effortlessly to avoid the projectiles, but lost sight of the ones who threw them. He then glanced up after his dodge to see Kotetsu descending upon him, a giant mace in his hands with a chain attached to it. The spiked weapon resembled a clam of some sorts, and didn't look to be all that appealing as it plummeted towards the white haired Chunin.

Mizuki grinned up at the man diving at him from up high and despite being injured, managed to swiftly grab one of the Fuma Shurikens from his back and respond instantaneously.

The four-pronged shuriken spun like a saw blade when it was thrown up at the Chunin, who reacted just in time to block it when it flew directly at him from the blind spot of his own weapon. The force of the hit knocked him straight into the side of the building he and his partner had been in, with his impact with the wall cracking the brickwork. He slumped to the ground and quickly tried to pull himself up with his colossal melee weapon still in hand.

Izumo meanwhile, had opted to take Mizuki from _his_ blind spot. But when he lunged at the man's back with the duel, curved kunai blades he had gotten from his partner, Mizuki side-stepped and swiped at the man's feet at the same time he flew by. The Chunin yelled out in surprise when he was thrown over and tumbled to the ground.

Performing a barrel-roll, Izumo skidded to a stop and retaliated with another lunge from a crouched stance, roaring when he lashed out with his two swords.

Mizuki grinned and grabbed the man by his wrists, skidding backwards for a couple of feet when he caught the attack meant to cleave him into three pieces.

"Too slow!" Mizuki laughed, performing a grappling twist that disarmed the Chunin and left his mid-section open for attack. With a swift side kick, the skilled shinobi sent Izumo flying back across the road, which he hit after covering about twenty feet. He bounced several times before sliding to a stop, groaning in pain and clutching his arm.

The traitor laughed, sliding a foot under one of the fallen kunai swords and flicking it into the air. Catching it, he then began approaching his fallen, former comrade, who in his groveling attempts, tried to get back up.

"I don't know how you two ever made Chunin," Mizuki laughed. "Sitting on the sidelines for all these months has made you soft… _sof__**ter**_. You need to keep in practice if you ever hope to defeat an accomplished, active shinobi such as myself…"

"Shut it, you wash out!" Kotetsu roared, finally back on his feet. He lunged at his opponent with his large mace cranked back. "I don't want to hear it!"

Kotetsu swung his huge melee weapon across, but Mizuki managed to block the hit from the side with the kunai sword he held in a two-handed grip. Despite the enormous force the shell had behind it and from what it generated on its own, it only managed to nudge its target back a few feet, before the man gracefully slid the sword he held across the handle of his opponent's club and pushed the mace straight down into the ground.

Wide open, Mizuki elbowed Kotetsu in the chin, before side-kicking an attacking Izumo coming in from his blind spot again. The attacker was thrown back and skidded to a stop, winded, but with no fatal damage. Mizuki then swiftly followed through with the same leg, spinning around in a wide swing and kicking Kotetsu across the face, sending him flying back and into the ground, beaten, with his primary weapon wedged into the road.

Izumo attempted one last attack with a trench knife to try and bring down Mizuki while his back was open to him, but when he swung at the Chunin, the swift fighter spun around yet again and lunged with the kunai sword. The bandana wearing Chunin ducked to avoid a lethal blow, but ended up with a knee to his face. The upward thrust broke his nose and sent him staggering, seconds before Mizuki spun at him with a spin kick, which also knocked him down.

Within seconds, both Chunin were beaten, wounded and lying with their faces in the dirt.

The crowds gasped in horror at the quick defeat of the shinobi, with all onlookers visibly backing away in fear. Murmuring started up amongst the groups of spectators again, all of whom concerned for the safety of the two men. Individuals on the outside of the crowd with common sense, broke off to go look for more help, whereas those who were in sight remained.

Mizuki scoffed and threw the kunai sword he held towards the ground, which stuck upright from where it struck.

The wound in his stomach was now bleeding heavily from the effort he had exerted in bringing down his former companions, with only adrenaline keeping him from keeling over. However, he paid his own injuries little mind, while he looked upon the downed pair with disgust.

"You two aren't even worth my time," Mizuki spat, before returning his attention to Naruto.

The young Genin was gawking at the sight of the carnage.

It was a lightning fast battle, one that even he could barely follow. He had always thought that Kotetsu and Izumo were two shinobi that couldn't be defeated so easily, and when they arrived the jinchuriki thought that Mizuki was done for. But after watching the pair get cut down within seconds by a severely wounded Chunin made the boy realize that the white haired traitor was much more powerful than he was letting on.

Deception was a major part of a ninja's career. Naruto knew that fact well.

The blonde gritted his teeth as he dragged himself into a kneeling position, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"You bastard!"

"You see this, Naruto?" Mizuki grinned, throwing his arms out and gesturing to himself. "_This_ is what a real shinobi is. This is what a real shinobi can do. _You_… you're just a scared, little boy with pathetic hopes and dreams pretending to be a shinobi." The white haired man stopped at a certain distance from the youngster, ensuring that there was enough room for him to counter any more sneak attacks that he could possibly be planning. "This is the real world and in the real world, you are nothing!"

"Whatever, like you can take me on in your condition!" Naruto shouted back, rising to his feet. His efforts and words only earned a laugh from Mizuki.

Meanwhile, Izumo and Kotetsu were trying, through various broken bones and concussions, to get back to their feet in order to reengage their target. But thanks to the one sided battle they just stepped into, the two of them had sustained heavy blows. Mizuki was certainly no man to take lightly. His attacks packed more power then either of them could take, and they judged from his movements and strength that he was close to Jonin level.

"_Dammit… move!" _Kotetsu cursed while he pushed himself off of the ground, shaking from the effort with blood dripping from his mouth. _"Come on body! You have to stop that bastard before he gets away…"_ The man groaned and fell back down, his muscles giving.

Mizuki glanced briefly over his shoulder at the struggling Chunin and smirked, before turning back to face his other prey.

"If you know what's good for you two, you will stay down," Mizuki stated. "Half drunk or not, you can't beat me."

"Fuck you," Izumo spat, only to be given the cold shoulder from the man they were aiming their glares at.

"You can't do anything in your state," the traitor replied, grinning a second later when a shadow was cast over his eyes. "And since you can't do anything… _Naruto_," The boy perked up at being addressed, but remained where he was, rigid and weary of an attack. The Chunin gave the youngster his utmost attention, even gracing him with a snide smile. "Do you want to know why the villagers despise you, resent you and hate you so much?"

Kotetsu and Izumo immediately knew where Mizuki was leading to. Expressions of desperation and shock took hold of them.

"NO! DON'T!" Kotetsu roared.

"DON'T TELL HIM, MIZUKI!" Izumo also shouted, trying even faster to get back into the fray.

"You remember being told about the Nine-Tailed Fox, don't you? The demon that attacked the village and was sealed away, right?" Naruto furrowed his brow, wondering where this conversation was going but still wanting to know. He nodded his head in response. "Well, since that day, a special rule was created for this village, but was never meant to be told to you."

"Not to me? What is this rule?"

"Hehehe… do you really want to know?" Mizuki asked with an unpleasant smile.

"Just tell me already!"

The villagers crowding the vicinity also caught on to what was being thrown between the two ninja, and quickly became scared. Not about the repercussions they could receive from the Third Hokage, but from what might happen if Naruto was told of what he was carrying. They were all well aware of the Kyuubi's wrath from experience alone, and nobody wanted the events from that day to happen again. No one could predict what could happen next, but the very thought terrified the spectators.

"Don't tell him!"

"It's the law of the village!"

"If he finds out, you'll anger him and he'll kill us!"

"You'll destroy us all!"

Villagers cried out from left to right, trying to persuade the Chunin otherwise. But Mizuki delighted in their panic and continued to speak.

"The rule is that nobody is allowed to talk about the fact that YOU are the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox!" Mizuki chuckled.

Naruto's eyes widened.

The words hit him like a genuine blow to the head. No, it was far worse then a simple hit administered by a punch or a kick. Hell, it carried way more force then both of them combined. The best way to describe the sudden feeling was a sickening strike to the head from what felt like an otherworldly, unrelenting weapon, as years of persecution, hatred and loneliness and the reasons because of them, fell on top of him like a ton of bricks. Shaken to the core, the jinchuriki staggered back in response, almost losing his balance as strength and adrenaline were seemingly snatched from his body.

It took several seconds to sink in, but eventually Naruto began to visibly tremble from the news.

The crowds braced themselves for the coming storm, with many of the villagers turning to flee.

"W-What… do you mean?"

"STOP MIZUKI!" Kotetsu shouted, crawling towards the man in an effort to get to him and silence him. "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Mizuki laughed. "It means you are the Kyuubi! The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that killed Iruka's parents, destroyed the village, and butchered the families of hundreds! You were sealed up by the very Hokage you admire, and you were lied to by everyone!" The man cackled, pointing at the shivering crowd with hatred of his own burning madly in his eyes. "Look at how they cower at the sight of you! Look at them! All that fear and hatred towards you! There's not a single person in this village who likes you or respects you! No one acknowledges your existence or your strength! You are nothing but a useless, talentless demon!"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Kotetsu shouted. Now in range, the man leapt and grabbed Mizuki by the leg. He wrapped his arms around the limb tightly and squeezed like a vice. The white haired Chunin glared down at the individual latched onto him, and attempted to shake him off. "NONE OF IT IS!" Ignoring the thrashing, the spiky haired Chunin glanced over at Naruto, who was still in a state of shock and disbelief. "Naruto! You are not the Nine-Tailed Fox and you are not talentless! You're not!"

"You're different from the fox, Naruto!" Izumo also shouted, pulling himself into a kneeling position. "You are not a demon to us! Do you see that headband you are wearing?

"That headband means you a ninja of Konoha, Naruto!" Kotetsu growled, taking the various punches and kicks from the traitor he was latched on to. However, Mizuki's efforts bared no fruit whatsoever, as the Chunin held on for dear life. "That means you are our comrade and our teammate. No… you are more than that… you are _our_ FRIEND!"

Naruto blinked when he heard this and he looked down at Kotetsu, seeing the man grinning up at him, before looking over at Izumo to see that he was also smiling.

"We acknowledge your strength Naruto… your _real_ strength!" the spiky haired Chunin exclaimed above his struggling.

"You mean a lot to us," Izumo stated, growling through sheer effort as he stood straight up.

Mizuki rounded on the shinobi and glared hard, but couldn't move freely enough to necessarily prepare himself, as the other one was still clamped to his leg.

"LET GO OF ME, YOU PATHETIC WASTE OF SKIN!"

"NEVER!" Kotetsu shouted, drawing a kunai from his pouch. With a roar he drove it into his opponent's leg; with Mizuki roaring out in agony when the blade buried itself deeply into his calve.

Naruto looked on in surprise as he watched the two Chunin grapple it out, one wrestling to bring the other to the ground, while the other attempted to peel him off with no success. He then looked over at Izumo, who brought out a cluster of shuriken from his pouch and dropped into a stance.

"YOU FOOLS!" Mizuki yelled, gritting his teeth in frustration while he fought with the man's grip over the knife in his leg. "YOU'D RISK YOUR LIVES TO PROTECT THIS DEMON?"

"He's not a demon! He's a shinobi of this village!" Izumo stated, cranking back his shuriken. "And yes! We will protect him!" he yelled and tossed the handful of weapons, the projectiles cutting through the air swiftly towards their target.

Mizuki stepped back fearfully, crossing his arms over and taking the barrage head on. The stars hit him in the arms and the vest, and though all of them hit with painful accuracy, they didn't bury themselves deep enough to pierce any vital organs. With a shout of agony, Mizuki uncrossed his arms, throwing off some of the blades embedded in him and looked up to see Izumo rushing him.

Having had enough of dealing with the two, the traitor dropped down and slammed an elbow into Kotetsu's back, hitting him between the shoulder blades with a loud crack. The man cried out when he felt his bones break, and relinquished his grip enough for Mizuki to rip him off and kick him away. The Chunin then rounded on Izumo, whom he then sent a heel kick straight into his chest, sending him flying back into the building behind him several meters away.

When Izumo hit, he fell to the ground with a loud thud. Mizuki followed up that attack by drawing the last of his Fuma Shuriken, the giant weapon unsheathing itself completely and spinning in his grip when it was drawn back.

"Die you good for nothing mongrels!" Mizuki bellowed and threw the giant, four-pronged blade, which curled through the air gracefully and aimed to impale the Chunin slumped against the damaged, brickwork barrier.

However, just as the weapon was mere inches away from impact, an orange blur suddenly leapt out of nowhere and a loud clang rang out as the windmill blade was shattered into several pieces. The attack was blocked, the weapon cascaded into pieces, and its path was replaced by a reinvigorated Naruto, who landed in front and at the defense of a stunned Izumo.

The crowd surrounding the battlefield gasped in unison.

Naruto, the very child that was the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox, the malevolent demon manifested from the intense hatred of others and was said to be nothing more than that had just saved a man's life. The audience was baffled beyond belief. Furthermore, Mizuki was also stunned into silence by the boy's response, having first suspected him to go ballistic at learning that he was the Kyuubi's jinchuriki.

But he didn't.

The boy surprised them all by taking a solid stance against the traitor and stood before his defeated comrade to defend him.

Izumo, though relieved at being saved, chuckled as he looked upon the boy's back.

"Thanks a bunch, kid," the bandana wearing shinobi chuckled and tried to sit up some more, but found his energy quite literally drained from his body. "I owe yah…"

"Don't spoil the moment, Izumo-sensei," Naruto stated as he glared their attacker down. "Ultra cool shinobi don't talk during these things."

Izumo laughed lightly at the youngster's humor. "Yeah… I guess you're right…"

"You shouldn't have done that!" Mizuki hissed, dropping into a stance and preparing to combat the boy. He had taken the other two shinobi without that much concern, but against the Kyuubi, he felt more caution was now necessary. "Is that demon of yours begging you to slay me? Hmm? You and I are the same-"

"No we're not, Mizuki!" Naruto angrily growled back at the statement, fists clenching tightly. "Not even close! You are a traitor to Konohagakure, who kills for fun. _Me_… I am a ninja of Konohagakure who protects his comrades! So if I am really the Kyuubi's container, than what does that make you? Huh?"

Izumo grinned at the boy's reply, with Kotetsu also chuckling from the sidelines from where he lay. The crowds were also overly impressed by the youngster's choice of words, and though they stood at a distance and had at first been overcome by fear, watched on intently to see what would happen next.

Mizuki growled and flipped through a series of hand seals. Unable to form a coherent reply against the troublemaker, he directed his next threat towards the spiky haired Genin as well as his next attack. "Even so; you have no talent for ninjutsu or genjutsu whatsoever! You may fight like a man, but you can't use any of the techniques that shinobi like me can!"

Naruto stepped forward with his right foot and threw his right hand forward, his left hand pulled back into a fist as he assumed a wide, balanced stance; one that he had practiced for several weeks behind the school.

"Bring it on trash! I'll send whatever you throw at me back at you a thousand times!" the jinchuriki shouted.

"Burn in hell with your friends!" Mizuki finished weaving his hand signs with a tiger seal, and brought his fingers up to his lips. Sucking in air, chakra filled his lungs and boiled, heat beginning to rise off of him. _"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"_

A gargantuan ball of fire bellowed from his mouth and formed a massive sphere of twisting, hot energy in front the user. It spun and whipped, before being flung towards its target just feet away. The crowds screamed out in terror at the proximity and the scolding temperatures of the attack, with Kotetsu blinking in shock from where he was on the road.

"_That's too close! There's no way they can stop it in time!" _the Chunin thought, watching as the ball of orange flames grew in size, drawing closer to the jinchuriki and his partner. "GET OUT OF THERE!"

Mizuki laughed as he watched his attack engulf both Naruto and Izumo, the blaze expanding and preparing to detonate, and hopefully take everyone else around them with it. Though the bright orange flames would surely alert any nearby shinobi to the battle, the traitor no longer cared. All he wanted was to see the demon child burn before him.

"HAHAHA! WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW, HUH, DEMON FOX?" the Chunin shouted.

However, his loud gloating and the malicious expression he wore soon disappeared when he saw what happened next. The massive fireball he had unleashed simply stopped and a split second later, it 'exploded'. But it wasn't a fiery explosion that created a huge crater or roasted its surroundings. It simply exploded into air… into _nothing_. The fire burst into flickers on the wind, with the flickers becoming cinders, and the cinders becoming nothing. The trench from where it started finished at an equally shallow trench where it was supposed to end and level the area, right in front of Naruto and Izumo.

Mizuki's jaw dropped when saw that both the jinchuriki and the Chunin were untouched by the flames of his technique.

"I-Impossible…" the man staggered back weakly, his body beginning to tremble. "That's… impossible…"

Naruto was also shocked. His right hand was extended and though his knuckles caught the very brunt of the attack, he wasn't burnt at all. He had kept his fist extended in response to the giant fireball aimed towards him in hopes of taking the hit instead of Izumo; all in order to protect him. But shockingly enough, his right hand, by some otherworldly force or something beyond his own knowledge and experience, had dispelled the technique with just a simple tap.

He had literally touched the fires of hell itself and extinguished them.

The jinchuriki retracted his right hand and looked down at his palm. Smoke rose off of it briefly, but then it disappeared a moment later. He flexed his fingers, overcome with bewilderment at what had happened.

It didn't take him long to piece together everything that had occurred so far in his life into one, simple answer.

It was the reason why he couldn't use conventional jutsu like everybody else, the reason why Mizuki's henge dispelled, and the reason why he was able to completely stop a massive wall of fire composited of raw chakra from consuming him.

"W-What are you?" Mizuki shouted, pointing at him. "WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU?"

Naruto smirked and clenched his fist once again, glaring at the man that had tried and failed to kill him.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki; Shinobi of Konohagakure!"

The blonde exploded into action and he charged straight at the rogue. With his excessive taijutsu training, he had gained yet another step up in strength and speed, which showed as he sprinted directly at the stunned man in an orange blur. The Chunin jumped in surprise at the boy's movements, and reached back to draw a kunai. But by the time he managed to bring it around Naruto was already within his defensive circle.

Directly beneath the much taller shinobi, Naruto lunged straight up at him. He put every ounce of strength and power he could muster into his right fist, and with a tremendous roar of effort he slammed it straight into Mizuki's face.

The result was almost reminiscent of the times he had pummeled all those logs he had been practicing on into submission.

Just like the trees themselves, Naruto toppled Mizuki in a single swing. The man was knocked out cold by the force of the blow he took point blank, which quite literally broke his jaw, smashed his nose and knocked his teeth out. Furthermore, the megaton hit sent him hurling through the air and into the fruit stand Naruto had been previously thrown into. He crashed straight through its remains and bounced along the ground several times, moments before slamming straight into a wall, splitting the concrete barrier.

A second later, Mizuki's unconscious, broken body fell to the ground with a loud thud. All it did from there was twitch and croak as the man looked up through a dream world with a bloodied face. The _Scroll of Seals_ lay unscratched within the wreckage of the fruit stand.

It was over.

Naruto panted while he watched the stall he had sent Mizuki through collapse. After confirming that the scumbag was down and out, the blonde then straightened up and adjusted his forehead protector. With a wide grin, he let out a laugh of amusement and spun around, giving the peace sign to everybody behind him.

"Did you see that?" the jinchuriki exclaimed.

Izumo, Kotetsu and the villagers in the area were quite literally stunned. They were all gawking at him with slack-jawed expressions and looks of disbelief drawn plainly on their faces. Understandably enough a certain amount of time ticked by in which Naruto waited for an applause, his victory sign and expression falling a bit. He exchanged their looks of silent astonishment with a frown.

"What? Ever seen a Genin kick the snot out of a Chunin before?" Naruto rubbed the ridge beneath his nose, sniffing and turning away in a pouting gesture. "It wasn't that tough, yah know."

About a minute later into the victory, Izumo and Kotetsu shared looks.

A brief telepathic word between the pair occurred, in which they silently discussed how in the world a fresh out of the academy Genin was able to beat someone that they were unable to take down together.

However, all of these thoughts passed them in time, and they both smiled in unison, and glanced back at the jinchuriki. Pulling themselves to their feet with the help of the villagers, they then waddled their way over to the boy.

The two Chunin were the ones to start the applause, using whatever energy they could spare to celebrate the boy's victory over the real demon. By the time Naruto looked back, the rest of the crowd surrounding him had already begun to applaud his success along with the wounded shinobi. It started off slow at first, but then slowly progressed and transformed into a storm of praises that was as equally loud as the cheering at a sports festival. The entire neighborhood that had witnessed the unbelievable fight clapped, whistled and congratulated the jinchuriki, with Naruto looking from one face to the other in surprise.

Men and women from the crowds approached him, and began patting him on the shoulders and ruffling his head. It was a surreal sight.

"Good on yah, Naruto!"

"Well done!"

"You are truly a ninja of Konoha!"

"We're sorry we ever doubted you."

The praises came in waves as Naruto was flocked from all sides. Izumo and Kotetsu were also helped over to the boy through the masses, with the spiky haired Chunin with the bandage over his nose patting the youngster on the shoulder, and giving him a reaffirming squeeze to comfort him. The blonde looked up at the injured shinobi to see him grinning down at him.

"Well done, kid," the slacker chuckled. "Must be _some_ transition… getting so much positive feedback from an audience so suddenly, huh?"

At first, Naruto was confused. But after looking back and forth between Izumo, Kotetsu and the people who were still applauding him, he then looked back at the Chunin and smiled. That smile shortly afterwards became a grin and he rubbed the back of his head in an oh-so-Uzumaki way.

"Heh. I guess it is pretty cool…"

As Naruto was swamped by his new fans and more people coming in to congratulate him, more shinobi arrived on the scene to clear up the mess.

Unknowingly, among the first to have arrived in time to witness the final moments of the battle and then some, was Iruka.

The man was squatting on the ledge of one of the many roofs surrounding the vicinity, camouflaged by the night and illuminated ever so slightly by the street lamps. The scarred Chunin smiled while he looked down at the cheering villagers, with Naruto smack bang in the center.

It was quite a sight, and though he had considered stepping in to interfere with the closing battle more then once, deep down he had felt that Naruto had something to prove, something to overcome.

And that's exactly what the boy did.

Iruka was also able to confirm another thing, but that revelation was for another time.

For now, he just stood back and watched the boy receive something he had never received from so many people in his life…

Smiles, respect and acknowledgement.

"_He really is destined for greatness…" _

"_Way to go, Naruto."_

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	5. Adjusting

**NARUTO**

**Destiny Breaker**

_Adjusting_

Naruto sat uncomfortably in the chair setup in front of the Hokage's desk, hands together and feet dangling over the side, while at the same time he was scrutinized by not only Hiruzen Sarutobi the Third Hokage himself, but also by several other respective members of his shinobi forces. The elder was at the center of the group, flanked by two ANBU, and accompanied by Iruka, Kotetsu and Izumo, the latter of whom were sporting bandages and had their arms in sling, all of them taking up space around the desk and staring at the Kyuubi's jinchuriki.

On top of that, it was deathly silent.

As a matter of fact it wasn't the silence in the chamber that was so nerve rattling for the normally open and loudmouthed Naruto, it was the fact that everyone present in the room had their eyes fixated on him. Not to mention that it felt like he was in an interrogation hall since the windows' blinds were covered and the entrances were sealed shut, with silencing and stun tags pasted over the doors and glass panes.

The blonde twiddled his thumbs anxiously, all the while looking around and admiring the pictures on the walls and taking in the purple carpeting. There were quite a lot of unique additions made to the room by the current reigning Hokage above all of the other standard equipment, including the viewing orb set up right beside the elder on the desk. Naruto was able to identify these many aspects and changes to the room thanks to the many hours he had spent touching up on the Hokage's environment in preparation for when he would eventually take the throne.

Although, it wasn't much of a throne; it was basically a chair with wheels on it that swiveled.

It was pretty cool.

"Umm…" Naruto murmured, looking over at the Third Hokage nervously. "C-Could I… try sitting in the big chair for a bit, oji-san?"

The pipe in Hiruzen's mouth switched sides in a huff, and the blonde slinked back a bit at the visual response.

It was a good thing he could read emotions so well. He was very personality conscious.

"Okay… never mind…" Naruto then carried on with whistling.

The Third Hokage breathed deeply on his pipe as he considered the boy seated before him carefully, and after due analysis and thought, waved his hand. At that address the two ANBU guarding the elder phased out of sight, disappearing from the room and leaving the invited shinobi on their own for the time being. Once his bodyguards were gone, Hiruzen then removed his pipe and placed it on the desk in front of him so that he could focus all of his attention on the jinchuriki gazing uneasily at him.

"Naruto," the village leader began, drawing the blonde's full attention to him. "I heard about what you did last night out in the village after you left my house. You defeated Mizuki, and you saved Izumo and all of the villagers present in the area from a powerful C-Rank _Fire Release_ technique that could have caused considerable damage had it exploded. You also returned the _Scroll of Seals_ back to me safely, after confirming the rogue shinobi's defeat."

The jinchuriki nodded at the summary of last night's events read out to him in full, and gulped. Boy, he sure hoped he wasn't going to get into trouble for this. It wasn't even his fault the scroll was stolen. It was Mizuki disguised as him. For an issue as big as this and over something so small, yet so incredibly valuable to the village, the Genin knew he was going to be penalized in some way. Time under Iruka's wings over the many years he has attended the academy has taught him many things, if not the one that seemed like the most significant detail being explored here; that people were pretty short tempered when it came to treasured items being stolen.

There was no way the elder was going to let him go so easily.

Naruto flinched when he heard the man cough and clear his throat.

The suspense was killing him.

"I must say… I'm very impressed with you," Hiruzen smiled.

"Huh?" Naruto pointed at himself.

He had received quite a lot of praise from Kotetsu, Izumo and Iruka for his actions from yesterday, and was applauded by the villagers for his efforts. From them alone it was a bit of a shock, but never had he expected to be acknowledged by the Third in the same manner and with a smile to boot... what with the interrogation arrangement and everything.

He blinked away his surprise when the village elder resumed his speech.

"You defeated an opponent that was able to bring to heel myself, and later two other Chunin level shinobi simultaneously, in spite of being severely wounded himself. What you accomplished out there was quite a feat, particularly for a newly promoted Genin," Hiruzen stated. "I believe your actions last night merit some kind of a reward."

"R-Really," Naruto grinned while rubbing the back of his head bashfully. He then smiled down at the large desk laid out before him and pointed at it. "Then… could I…?"

"Sorry Naruto, you're not strong enough to be Hokage yet," the Third exclaimed, well aware of what he was going to ask next. The Chunin standing around also smiled in amusement, Iruka in particular who gave a light chuckle.

The elder then slid open the drawer next to him and pulled out a file. Flipping it open, he revealed an old photo of Naruto pasted onto the introductory profile page and to the other documents related to him. From the amount of papers there were, Kotetsu and Izumo assumed from where they stood that it was filled with all sorts of clutter from years of troublemaking.

The village leader paid the contents little mind and pulled out a pen. "I'll add this accomplishment to your permanent records and classify last night's events as an A-Rank mission. You'll be paid well for this Naruto." Hiruzen glanced up at the boy in question to see him grinning and still swinging his legs back and forth on his chair. "You should be proud of yourself."

"Thanks," Naruto exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.

The jinchuriki then became distracted by some other thought lingering over his mind, and brought his right hand up for inspection. Though he didn't receive as many injuries as Kotetsu and Izumo did in their battle, he was still pretty shaken up from his brief skirmish with Mizuki. While the fight had been catastrophic for the Chunin, all the wounds Naruto had sustained were merely shallow bruises and a couple of cracked ribs. However, he hadn't had these injuries checked out at the hospital yet, not to mention they were no longer distinctive or present on his body.

He couldn't even feel the broken bones anymore. They were all healed up.

It was quite a puzzling development.

Last night had left him with many questions he wanted to ask and needed to be answered. Of course, now that he was in the presence of those who were with him at the events of yesterday afternoon, in addition to them being people who knew him best, it was the most convenient time to start asking.

"There's one thing that's bugging me," the boy began meekly, while looking up at the shinobi present. "How was I able to stop that giant fireball technique that Mizuki-baka threw at me? My hand just tapped it and it disappeared into thin air, and it didn't even hurt me one bit…"

"Actually, I'm wondering about that myself," Izumo stated, looking over at their village leader questioningly. Kotetsu and Iruka accompanied their fellow companion with nods of agreement, all three Chunin quickly becoming immersed in deep contemplation over the miracle that they had witnessed the other day. It was baffling.

"With the proximity between the target and the user, it would have been impossible for Naruto to have effectively countered with a defensive technique in time... even if he could use jutsu. I didn't see him weave any hand seals or generate any chakra whatsoever to defend himself," Kotetsu spoke, gesturing towards the boy in question. "If you ask me, a _Wind Release_ technique that didn't require any seals whatsoever would be the most logical explanation, since his counter against the _Fire Ball Jutsu_ didn't manifest itself as anything other than an atmospheric disturbance. There was nothing…"

The Third Hokage murmured to himself, pausing for a moment in his scribbles. He then propped himself up on his elbows on the surface of his desk, and laced his fingers together. Resting his chin on his hands, he looked over at Naruto and began analyzing him intently from the head down.

Unknown to the other shinobi of the, he was just as perplexed and curious about the boy's unique ability as the next person.

However, in spite of his unfamiliarity with the issue, the well educated man had a vague idea as to what the technique could have been, and what it's properties entailed.

"Iruka, you took the boy down to the hospital yesterday, didn't you?" Hiruzen asked, earning an immediate nod from the Chunin.

"Yes, Hokage-sama…"

"What did the doctors say about his condition?"

"Well… it's umm… pretty hard to explain," the scarred man replied, turning towards his student sitting close by and listening in on their conversations with absolute focus. "Doctor Emi Hyuuga was the one who performed the diagnosis on Naruto's body. Aside from his right arm, the rest of his body's chakra network is in perfect condition. The passages aren't obstructed by anything and his tenketsu are in perfect balance. It was only his right arm she had trouble discerning."

"How so?"

"It's not damaged physically in any way, it's just functioning abnormally. All I know is that it prevents him from performing ninjutsu with regular seals, and that for some reason it disrupts his techniques and the techniques of others," Iruka stated with a shrug. His expression remained serious as he gave the Hokage and to those listening a thorough breakdown of the issue. "That much I gathered from my talk with her."

"So that's it," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied and looked over at Naruto, who was glancing between all of them curiously.

The old Kage took his time to take in the boy's condition and the new information shared with him by his teacher. Hiruzen had made a note years ago to keep tabs on Naruto's progress and development ever since he was admitted into the academy, which was why he always had his file on hand, and ever since his first failings at ninjutsu has kept an even closer eye on him. Apparently, his problem was most troublesome. There were no faults or irregularities in his physical form that would warrant serious medical treatment and it certainly wasn't the Kyuubi or any lack of chakra that was the cause of it.

However, there was something lingering at the back of his mind that the elder was overlooking.

He just couldn't place it.

"_It's his right arm only though? Why?" _Hiruzen murmured. _"In other cases, chakra nullification isn't simply localized to a single part of the body. It only occurs if that part of the body is severely damaged or the body itself is unable to use chakra at all. The only other explanation I can think of aside from damaged tenketsu points or a genetic abnormality is that the boy's chakra was purposely sealed off or displaced." _He tapped his fingers impatiently, his expression conveying the sense that he was stressing severely over the boy's predicament. _"Fuinjutsu. Techniques that powerful are only used on prisoners down at Hōzukijō_ _and by shinobi formerly of Uzushiogakure. However, it doesn't just distort his chakra in his arm; it utilizes it and produces a field that disrupts other chakras as well. Could it be…?"_

Hiruzen's eyes widened and he looked up ever so slightly. The light gasp that accompanied his change of expression didn't go on unnoticed by the three Chunin and Naruto. All those present focused ever more closely on the elder as he lowered his arms to his desk and kept his train of contemplation straight and true.

"_That must be it then," _Hiruzen raised his hand to his chin and rubbed his beard thoughtfully, _"An Uzumaki Clan secret technique composed of self-replicating seals pasted onto his chakra network at a specific location. It must be an incredibly powerful technique if its primary function is to disturb the spiritual, physical and natural energies surrounding him. There are only a handful of people I know who can use jutsu originating from Uzushiogakure of that level…"_

"Kushina…"

"Hmm… what was that, oji-san?" Naruto asked, hearing a name.

The old man smiled and laced his hands together, placing them back on the desk in front of him. "I believe I mentioned this to you last night when you broke into my house to read my collection of scrolls, Naruto. There are a lot of things in this world that I have seen and learned, and there are many things that I have in depth knowledge of. How to run a village, the whole country's history, famous shinobi, battle tactics, jutsu… but the strange ability in your right arm is something I'm not too familiar with." He nodded towards the jinchuriki whose smile visibly fell. "However, what I do know is this. The anomaly that has enveloped your right arm is able to neutralize any technique used on you, including entire bodies of chakra, by just coming into contact with the jutsu or the user in question. I'm not entirely sure whether it can dispel any form of jutsu, but I suggest that you find out for yourself."

"Really?" Naruto blinked and looked down at his right hand. A moment of consideration later, and a wide grin spread across his lips. "That is so cool!"

"Cool indeed…" Kotetsu frowned at the boy's luck. "Wish I had that ability…"

"There _is_ a downside to this though," the Third Hokage interrupted, drawing everyone's attention back to him again. "Because the technique is fixated to your right arm, your own chakra is nullified whenever your right hand comes into contact with your body, or more accurately, your left hand during the hand seal process, effectively cancelling out your ability to manipulate chakra. It's the sole reason why you can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu because your chakra is being suppressed at the same time."

"Oh…" Naruto looked at his right arm again. "So… I can use either one but I _can't_ use the other. This is very strange…"

"It's inconvenient if you ask me," Izumo looked over at the village elder. "That means he's going to have to learn jutsu that he can use that doesn't require his hands coming into contact with one another…"

"Exactly," Iruka said with a smirk. "That is why he's going back home to study before team allocations in two weeks time, aren't you Naruto?"

The blonde haired shinobi nodded with a wide grin. "Yup! I'm going to learn awesome new techniques that don't need my hands!" He pumped his right fist into the air, indicating that he was thrilled by his recently discovered gift and the various possibilities it had behind it. "This is going to be cool!"

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day…<strong>

**Some hours later…**

"It's not cool… it's not…" Naruto groaned as he glared down at the pages of the article in front of him, hoping that the words would read themselves for a change. As flexible as it was for him to study at home, at his own kitchen table without being glowered at by his teachers constantly, reading was still reading. "It's sooo boring!"

Naruto wasted no time getting back to whatever work he was given by Iruka and Shiho in order to improve his skills and increase his knowledge in the shinobi arts. It was a prerequisite.

His fight with Mizuki the other day was a big wake up call for him in more ways then one. After all, you don't learn anything of real value from just winning; because all it really does is stack up on a person's ego. A person would need to have their butt kicked pretty good to learn that life was hard.

Mizuki beating down Kotetsu and Izumo, and kicking _him_ around with little effort showed Naruto something. Both of the Chunin, who had fought to take back the _Scroll of Seals_ and defend their village, were strong, stronger than him by far. If the traitor was able to floor them within seconds with so little effort, then Mizuki would have had little trouble with him if he had stepped up to trade some of the punches. Naruto realized that he needed to build up his intellect in the martial arts in order to come up with strategies on the field, as well as techniques to get passed a stronger opponent's defenses. Brute force alone wouldn't serve him any if he had to walk through a field of traps set up by a cunning warrior.

He needed to fight on their turf, and carefully.

However, after going through a couple of his books on tactics, Naruto came to a surprising understanding that brute force _did_ matter in a lot of the areas of close quarter fighting, and that it also came hand in hand with strategy. The jinchuriki had a lot to consider in regards to shinobi combat and survival, which was why he was reading from the books specifically picked out for him by his sensei, despite how boring each item was.

Still, he had to learn how to get in close so that his new dispelling technique could be used in conjunction with his brawling style of taijutsu. He had been able to take out Mizuki with a single hit, not just because of his own strength, but also due to his technique temporarily shutting down the chakra in the man's body to deliver maximum impact. This meant that the Chunin's natural defenses against conventional attacks had been lowered considerably in that instant, to the point that his body was unable to take the full force of the hit.

It was a contributing factor to the now hospitalized Mizuki, recovering in _ANBU Interrogation Headquarters_.

In spite of his accomplishments, Naruto was spurred on by the words that Iruka had always told him back at the academy whenever he rushed ahead, that "_Konoha wasn't built in a day"._ This, and the fact that he felt he was still so far behind everybody else and was being mocked because of it, compelled him to read on.

He flipped over to the next page, a stack of more books from the library on his right shadowing him and his notebook open on his left.

After soaking in the next chapter and scribbling down more important details into his pocket book, the blonde sighed and closed it up. Tossing the _Survival Guide Volume II_ aside, he then focused attention on the stack of other thick almanacs sitting beside him that he had to go through. He ran a finger up and down the pile, rubbing his chin in silent contemplation before grabbing one of the more interesting looking ones about explosive tags.

Figuring he could learn something cool from that item, he opened it to the first chapter.

"Introduction: Properties of explosive powder…" Naruto grinned and stuck his nose into the pages. "Now this sounds interesting…"

* * *

><p>The book Naruto actually picked up after nudging aside the survival guide for a breather turned out to be quite appealing to him. It wasn't just simple enough to understand, but the article also possessed a lot of potentially raw power. It gave him so many new ideas, yet also encouraged the readers of the book not to take the art of crafting explosives too lightly. That was what the other book was also for; <em>how not to get your legs blown off<em> or something like that.

_Explosive Tags: How to Master their Fire_ was quite a compelling read none to say the least. Naruto had his nose buried in it for most of the day to follow.

He lay down on his couch to read and when he heard his stomach start complaining, he popped down to Ichiraku's Ramen for his favorite miso delight. Hell, he read all the way down there and didn't even lower his book for a second when he sat down at the bar stool. He would only trade hands with the book whenever he needed to take a sip from his broth, enjoying both a good meal and a good read at the same time.

Teuchi and Ayame were pretty perplexed by how Naruto was so fixated on his book. For all the times they had known him as a customer, he would always talk about how cool being a ninja would be and compliment them on their fine ramen. Today however, all they managed to get out of him was a hello, his order, several 'aaas' and 'mmms' from every time his spoon met his mouth and a _thank you_ when he left. Admittedly they hadn't seen that much discipline in reading since Kakashi last came by with the new issue of _Icha Icha Paradise_ tucked under his arm, which earned him more than a few glares from Ayame.

From his trip from home to his exit from the ramen bar, Naruto read on and on and on, carelessly bumping into pedestrians who were also paying little attention to the road in front of them. Unlike the other times when the young jinchuriki went about crashing into stuff, he was normally followed by flaks of shinobi in pursuit of him.

It was an odd sight to see him walking around all professional like.

It was particularly perplexing to his classmates Sakura and Ino when they saw him walk by reading.

Both girls were locked in a deep conversation when they spotted the familiar blonde jinchuriki marching towards them, and stepped aside in time to let him through when they noticed he wasn't paying attention. From there, the two girls took their time in watching him duck right under a man carrying a crate across the road and other miscellaneous traffic, as if he knew the people were there in the first place. Despite being completely fixated on his compelling read, he skillfully avoided injury and resumed his autopilot route.

"What in the world is Naruto doing?" Sakura asked.

Ino placed her hands on her hips and shrugged. "Beats me. Who cares what he gets up to in his free time?"

The pink haired girl glanced back at the platinum blonde and pointed in the direction the reputed 'idiot of the class' had gone. "B-But… he's _reading_! I've never seen him _read_ before, let alone pick a book up to start with."

"Maybe he's trying to impress someone," Ino shrugged back and turned heel, walking off with her nose in the air. Sakura followed suite, but not before sparing a glance back at the blindly strolling youngster that went by.

After strolling around for a bit with his thoughts running wild with the possibilities the book was sharing him, he then thought of something.

Stopping in the middle of the road, he held the book out a bit and analyzed it. He then thought back to the other books he had back at his apartment and how many they were.

These thoughts shadowed him with dread.

"_I can't read without slacking off in my physical exercises and I can't train without wasting all the time I could be using to read all this important stuff. I can't perform one task without neglecting the other…" _Naruto shut his book and held it at his side as he pondered these new thoughts. All the while villagers were passing him by one after the other, some of the shooting curious glances in his direction as they walked by, wondering what he could be doing standing in the middle of the street the way he was. _"I need to find a way to balance my time… but how…?"_

His mind then worked its way back to the academy, and he cursed his luck when he figured out a way he could probably be in two places at once.

"_Right… the stupid Bunshin Jutsu. If only I could use Jutsu in the first place…"_ Naruto frowned and glared down at his right hand. _"One of my many disadvantages. Great. So what's the point then? I remember from that __**Scroll of Seals** thing**... **or the** Academy Basics Handout **whatever... damn... I need to take it easy on the books, there's just so much to know. Anyway, __a person could absorb the information of a shadow clone thingy when it dispelled or was destroyed, basically producing two existences from one, two points of view and two routes of learning, while cutting the user's chakra in half depending on how much energy they want to expend, as well as their learning time. I think I got it right... meh. But I CAN'T USE HAND SEALS BECAUSE OF THIS STUPID ARM! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO BE REMINDED?"_

He felt like screaming and tearing his own limb off for that fact. However, just as he was beginning to mull over it, he then remembered something else.

"_Wait… jiji said that I could probably learn how to use jutsu with only __**one**__ hand!" _He looked down at his left hand instead, and flexed his fingers. After considering the other, unaffected limb for a few seconds, he then nodded his head and looked around. _"Okay! New task: time to experiment. Now where can I go to train where there's some space…?"_

It took him a short time to figure out where he needed to go. Remembering that Konoha had plenty of reserves designed for these kinds of purposes, Naruto then hurriedly made his way in the direction of one of the village's many forested areas.

He couldn't wait to try out his theory. But at the same time, he was fearful of the results.

* * *

><p><strong>The Third Training Ground<strong>

To say that Naruto wasn't pleased was just a bit undersold. However, he still couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment as he looked upon the clone he was actually able to make.

Following through with the hand seals he learned back in the Academy required for him to produce the _Bunshin no Jutsu_, Ram-Snake-Tiger, he attempted to create a clone. He started with his two-hand approach to make sure that the next phase would not be a fluke. Again, as always, he was unable to produce any clones.

So then after practicing going through the motions with his left hand only for the better part of an hour, he then asserted himself in the stance necessary, and with his right hand extended so that it would not interfere, weaved through the hand seals. It was incredibly strange using only one hand, since he had been practicing trying to manipulate chakra using both for most of his years of practice. Nevertheless, after gathering his chakra at the pit of his stomach and flipping through the required signs, he was rewarded with two simultaneous puffs of white smoke.

Glancing behind him to marvel at his very first successful jutsu with anticipation brimming in his eyes, he was immediately let down when he saw the two doppelgangers he was able to produce lying flat out on the floor, pale white and lifeless. The poor duplicates were practically dead the moment they were summoned.

Naruto scolded as he looked at the two lifeless bodies slumped on the ground with drool leaking out of their mouths, before marching over and tried to pick one of them up. As soon as he came in contact with it however, it disappeared in a puff of smoke when his right hand nudged it. He then went to pick up the other one, this time with his left hand, and attempted to shake him awake. He had no idea how he was able to pick up what was supposed to be a shell of chakra or an illusion in the first place, but he guessed it had to be the insane amount of chakra he had put into it that contributed to its mass and physical manifestation.

Receiving only a groan from the lifeless drone in response, Naruto then shook his head and slapped it across the face with his dispelling hand. The copy disappeared a split second later.

"Okay, so now I know I can use jutsu with my left hand," Naruto said while holding up the limb in question. _"But not successfully. Damn, my first ninjutsu and it craps out on me."_

Rubbing his chin in thought as he looked at his left hand from back to front, he began thinking about what other jutsu he could accomplish. Figuring that perhaps his chakra was always in constant imbalance and that the regular clone jutsu didn't comply with his own chakra network, he then looked towards an alternative.

He didn't just leave the Hokage mansion with a new idea, but with a couple of the jutsu he had read from the Scroll of Seals in mind. The very first one that was on the roll out was something called the Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu. It was described as an S-Rank technique because of the amount of chakra it took from its user to create the number of clones. The exact number of clones was left undetermined, but Naruto figured that with his huge well of chakra, it would be sufficient enough for him to produce at least one clone.

The hand seal was easy, as it was a technique specified hand seal where one would cross the left over the right. Knowing he couldn't use his right, he compensated for the lack of the other by simply forming half of the ram seal. Concentrating hard, he then began manipulating his chakra as instructed from the scroll and began to output it for the number of clones that he willed.

He actually broke a sweat attempting to accomplish this, as he had to mold the chakra without his right hand, which he kept extended away to prevent it from interfering.

It was incredibly difficult. However, after a couple long minutes of getting the feel of his chakra and shaping it to take the form he was intending to create, he then unleashed his technique. Through practice of the hand seals he was able to get the general idea and feel of how to produce jutsu with one hand. But when done practically in conjunction with his chakra, it was a whole new experience. After years of tries and fails, it was a big shock to him to finally start getting it down.

The jutsu he used seemed to come naturally to him. The technique he performed felt quite different from when he tried to perform the _Clone Technique_ before hand. The moment he allowed the technique to manifest, puffs of white smoke exploded around him to form a thick cloud that covered the area around him.

He waved his hands through the air to clear it and so when he turned around, he saw a swath of about half a dozen clones standing behind him. The copies were all perfect, right down to their outfits and skin texture. The copies were also looking at themselves, marveling at how they came into being, with the user also blinking in astonishment.

He had to shake his head several times to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Wow… I… I did it!" Naruto grinned and let out a laugh, punching a fist into the air. "Yatta! The _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_ actually worked for me! YES!" He then walked over to the clones, which were all now looking at him.

"Hey boss."

"Awesome, isn't it?"

"This is pretty cool."

The copies then began to mingle, with the user looking from one entity to the other, walking a full circle round the group before stopping directly in front of the first three. He then raised his right hand with a grin.

"High five!"

"Alright!" The two Narutos exchanged pleasantries, but the moment the clone touched the user's right hand, it exploded into a cloud of smoke. The other clones looked over in surprise, where they saw Naruto standing in the mists of the last clone with a look of surprise. Blinking several times, the real Naruto glanced down at his right hand and nodded his head in understanding. "Oh right… my dispelling ability. Damn… I have to come up with a name for it." Clenching his fist, he then pointed up at the remaining clones standing in front of him. "Okay you lot, I need a name for the technique in my right hand! Start throwing any suggestions out!"

"Righty!"

"Shield!"

"Hand of God!"

"Fist of Awesomeness!"

"The Annihilator!"

"Sheldon!"

"No… you morons! Those are all stupid!" Naruto shouted, before beginning to pace around to think. In the meantime, his clones continued thinking up names amongst themselves while also bumping fists with one another. They observed that though the original Naruto, their creator, had the ability to dispel jutsu in his right hand; they also noted that they didn't. So, weighing up their collective knowledge from the original, they determined all on their own that it was safe for them to use their right hand on each other to congratulate and make gestures, without fear of hitting each other by accident.

One of the clones dispelled itself the moment this realization was made. Seconds later, while Naruto had his back turned to them and was distracted over thinking up a name for his right arm and thinking about what other possibilities it had, he was suddenly hit by what the one clone had learned.

He blinked and spun around to see only four out of his six clones remaining. He scolded and pointed at them.

"I didn't tell you to dispel… hey… wait," the boy double-backed at the new information in his head. "Hey, it actually works and… m-my ability in my hand doesn't transfer onto the clones? How strange." He glanced down at his right hand in surprise. "So… does that mean the clones can use jutsus with both hands in my place?"

"Probably," one of the copies spoke up, raising his hand as if he were in class, while the other clones stood around him staring at the original. "You split your chakra evenly between us, boss. We may be copies but that doesn't mean we can't use other jutsu!"

Enthralled by this, Naruto grinned and punched his fist in the air again. "Alright! Awesome! This is getting better and better! I've got so much more to learn now! Maybe this can work out for us after all!" He then walked back over to his clones, stopping several feet from them to assert his position as the original. "Okay, if this thing with my right hand is going to stick around, then we'll have to practice using only one-handed hand seals from now on. I also need to practice with the _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_ some more so that I can get used to it and the amount of chakra I need in order to break even with my copies each and every time."

"It shouldn't be that hard."

"You know that you can use us to speed up the time you need to train, boss," another clone exclaimed, thumping his chest. "We can practice using hand seals and gathering chakra, and we can also experiment with some of the other jutsus you want us to learn! You can count on us!"

"Yeah, but we need to practice using _only_ _one_ hand!" the copy behind the last clone to speak stated, slapping the offender over the head. "Don't you listen, dumbass?"

"Okay, Okay, no arguing! You're _all_ right!" the original Naruto shouted, stressing order between them. The clones stopped glaring and returned their attention to him. "We're also going to have to learn to fight in groups, and become comfortable fighting independently, separately, and with a reasonable amount of space between us when collaborating as a team, so that you don't get dispelled by my right hand by accident."

Naruto looked down at both of his hands, flexing his fingers to emphasize the difficult and problems he would be facing with his training. "My taijutsu is fine when it's just me, but if I'm using the _Shadow Clone Technique_, my strength and chakra is split up between us. That means I need to get stronger and faster on my own, so that a high amount of it can be transferred into all of you guys. That means more physical exercises. We can work on team dynamics later."

"So… what do you want us to do?" a clone spoke up, raising a hand.

Naruto grinned and reached into his pocket, pulling out the book in his hand. "You guys are gonna help me study!" He handed the article in question to the clone in front of him. When the clones gathered to analyze the book given to them, Naruto then stepped away and formed the trademark, one-handed seal for the Shadow Clone technique. "Let's do it!"

Puffs of smoke exploded around him again, this time at a much faster rate. When the clouds cleared, they revealed more clones, about a dozen this time, all of them appearing to join their brothers fawning over the book. The original turned towards them and admired his work, noting that all the clones were once again exact copies of him. The clones also looked amongst themselves, before turning towards the original with and giving him their absolute focus.

Naruto then pointed at the group in front of him. "You four, practice the _Henge no Jutsu_! Over there!" he directed them towards the trees, yelling as if he were a company sergeant in the army.

The clones saluted and ran off to perform the task, the original screaming orders after them. "Remember, only use the left hand! You four!" Naruto pointed at the next group of clones, who all stood to attention rather clumsily. "Practice _this_ jutsu; the _Kage Bunshin_! Over there! Go, go, go!" The jinchuriki hurried the clones off, who all saluted and went over to their corner of the field in a hurry. This left the last four, with Naruto turning to them and pointing. "Alright, lastly I want you four to practice the _Kawarimi no Jutsu_! Practice it until you can replace yourselves with anything. Go! Go!"

Those clones ran off, with Naruto turning back to the previous four to see them still looking over the book. The original clicked his fingers to get their attention. "As for you guys, one of you stay and read," the blonde stated, nodding to the one who held the book. That copy nodded and walked away, whereas the remaining three remained. "You three go back to my apartment and bring me all of the books I have on the dining room table. I plan on staying here for a while."

The clones did as ordered and ran off, leaving the original standing in the middle of the training grounds with his clones all around him, performing all sorts of chores.

Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his head with his left, careful to make sure that his right hand didn't move from his pocket. "Boy… this is going to take a while," the jinchuriki murmured and looked up, with his left hand still situated behind his head. _"I have to relearn everything I was taught in the Academy over the past two years… this sucks!"_ Sighing, he then cracked his head to the side and removed his jacket. He marched over to where the three training stumps he could see were, the three pillars offering a rather tempting challenge.

The newly appointed Genin grinned as he walked towards them.

"It's gonna be tough, but I know there are a few things I can enjoy…" Naruto took a stance in front of the logs, glaring them down as if they were actual opponents. _"Come on!"_

* * *

><p><strong>The following week…<strong>

Naruto spent all of his free time, including most of his nights, juggling between both his physical exercises and his reading. Because he had practically hammered the aspect of training into his head years ago, he wanted to make sure he had everything he was relearning covered, not just to satisfy himself for his sake, but also to make Iruka and everybody else he knew proud. Which was why for most of that first week before team allocations, Naruto devoted himself completely to Training Field 3.

It was quite fortunate for him that for most of those seven days the field was practically empty, meaning that he could completely cut loose without the concern of being kicked out.

The young jinchuriki found an appropriate balance between both forms of physical and mental practice by using his newly acquired _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_, and by the end of the week, not only had he been able to go through and master all of the basic techniques from his two years of learning at the academy, but he was also able to improve and adapt them to his unique fighting style. Because he realized that he would have to quite literally battle any opponent he was confronted with, with one hand tied behind his back, he made sure that his body and that all of the shadow clones he produced were suited to the concept of using only one hand for performing jutsu. This area was perhaps the most difficult phase of his training regime.

At the beginning, Naruto had to first get accustomed to the idea of using jutsu, as well as getting acquainted with the techniques he was supposed to know, mostly because he had been unable to perform any ninjutsu up until this point. For someone like him, a mere novice, the first time he used the _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu,_ and dispelled all of the clones he had created at the same time at the end of the day, it came as quite of a shock to him at the amount of information and strain he collected. He literally passed out that late afternoon and woke up in the middle of the night covered in ants.

But after significant practice with the _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu _over the next couple of days, in which he spent a lot of that time sparring with them to get used to the amount of chakra he outputted and divided between the numbers he averaged, he was then able to properly assign the clones tasks. The first two days was simply getting used to the technique, the days to follow was spent excessively expending as much chakra and energy as he could relearning everything with his left hand. He was thankful he was quite ambidextrous and adaptable; otherwise he wouldn't have progressed as far as he did in that week.

In order for his fighting style to work, he had to alternate between two different fighting forms involving both his more dominant left side and his more important right side. He figured that if he was to counter jutsu effectively, then he had to make sure that his right side was facing forward when that jutsu came at him. This also gave him another concept on which to focus on.

He learned from practicing with his clones that he could dispel jutsu and perform his multi shadow clone jutsu simultaneously. This further encouraged him to learn how to fight with only one hand, so that whenever he picked up melee weapons or shuriken, he would always wield them in his right hand so to free up his left hand to administer either jutsu or equipment that would allow him to escape, such as smoke pellets. He made sure to practice with both hands so to add balance to his style.

It was quite fortunate that he had an incredibly high growth and recovery rate, compared to other shinobi from his age group. He found that after every individual day he spent training, he actually progressed forwards in his abilities in leaps and bounds. This revelation, prompted him to train even harder the next day, and the day after.

All of his improvisation and hard work also came hand in hand with what he learned from the books. A lot of his poor clones were subjugated to hours of study, and though he suffered severe backlash from the amount of information he absorbed with all of his clones dispelling at once the end of each session, he still took in quite a bit of data from each individual clone's experience. Tactics, survival and strategy were his primary focus on the books, as he was already getting the concepts of jutsu down quite well.

At the same time, he also found more and more interest in the art of _Explosive Tags_.

Because he was so used to fighting hand to hand and that explosive tags were quite lethal when used in bulk, Naruto came up with an idea of how to implement the paper bombs into more close quarter fighting. So as to not expend chakra needlessly using jutsu all the time, he discovered that fighting using weapons and equipment that didn't waste energy creating was quite an advantage in the field. He had seen Mizuki floor both Kotetsu and Izumo with the absolute minimum, and where physical practice and strength came heavily into play when it boiled down to locking swords, Naruto was going to capitalize on that, and insure that his attacks packed more of a surprising punch.

To sum it all up; physical workouts in the morning and heavy training of his taijutsu style, with which he would work on himself, then academy basic jutsu practices with one group of shadow clones, where they would perfect his _Henge_, _Kawarimi_ and his _Kage Bunshin_ techniques, and finally, reading and studying with the other group. A supplementary set of clones would also practice with varying levels of explosive tags he had bought from the shinobi supply store, and so as to not waste money in the future buying them, read up everything he could find on how to make them. It was pretty much all catch up for Naruto, while at the same time strengthening what he did know and then some.

It was no surprise that by the end of the week, he was pretty much knackered.

That Saturday morning, after having breakfast and rereading one of the chapters on creating explosive tags, he left two shadow clones at home to read some of the new books he had borrowed while he went on a refreshing walkabout of the village.

Shockingly to his reputation, he wasn't using the time he had on hand to scope out any places for a new prank to play or any mischief he could manage. He had had enough of that already.

This period of reprieve was simply to soak up the scenery of the parts of the village he didn't know.

His morning stroll took him around the back of the Hokage mansion, the academy, and then around the mountain.

In all his time spent in the village, he had no idea what exactly was behind the _Hokage Monument _sitting proudly at the neck of Konohagakure, and it wasn't hard to believe that the young Genin was overcome with curiosity enough to make him take a hike that day.

Though the roads around the mountain were heavily forested and thick with brush, it wasn't that big of an effort for him to navigate through it all. It was just like a giant nature walk, only it was closer to home rather than far out of the country. It was very pleasant.

Along the way, the jinchuriki took his time minding the surroundings and listening to the silence. It was quite a change from village life, where all he was able to hear were the ramblings of strangers, the mutterings of crowds and the smells that came with it.

Out here, it was peaceful and at least smelled nice.

It took him close to an hour to march around to the other side of the mountains. At first he thought he would hit more forests or some part of the village of Konohagakure he hadn't visited yet. What he encountered was more of the former than the latter, and when he eventually hit the dark side of the woods behind the towering cliff faces, he could not believe what he discovered.

The trees in the area he ventured into were simply massive. The sight of them after breaking over the crest of a hill literally had him stop in his tracks. The trees completely outgrew themselves to the point that they looked like brush covered hills hiking up the sides of the mountain from a distance, but Naruto didn't know that. From where he stood at the mouth of trail he had been following, he saw trees to the left and right rising up towards the sky, towards the mountain itself. Most of the vessels he calculated to be at least twenty to thirty stories in height, and due to the amount of leaves clouding the canopy, almost blocked out the sun.

The biggest tree out of all of them however, was a giant red wood planted closest to the mountain side, or what Naruto first thought was a red wood.

After following a different, rocky path carved through nature to another, larger clearing in the middle of the forest, the boy was able to get a better idea of how big this red wood was.

The tree was gargantuan. Its radius alone was the length of a football field, and its height was about fifty to seventy stories, or more. It was definitely equivalent to the height of the Konoha Monument, but due to it being situated behind the village's main landmark itself, people simply didn't notice. It was an absolute marvel.

Naruto gawked as he gazed up at the behemoth, having to shield the ridge over his eyes with his hand to block out the rays of sunlight hitting the clearing, while he craned his neck upwards towards the canopy. The sun managed to cut through the forest of leaves high above, but that was a minor deterrent. What Naruto was more interested in, was calculating the tree's actual height.

However, from where he stood amongst its apartment block sized roots, where smaller trees and figs were also growing, was that any answer he was more than likely to come up with, would have been a rough estimate.

"This tree is incredible…" Naruto murmured. "It has to be at least… a hundred years old!"

"Yes, it is," a voice spoke up from behind the youngster, almost making him jump.

The spiky haired jinchuriki wheeled around to face the person that was addressing him, and was surprised when he came face to face with an elderly man. He blinked in surprise and shook off the jolt he received, and turned towards the man to better determine whether he was friend or foe.

A quick scan of the senior gave Naruto a good idea of his appearance; a old man around his eighties, wearing ninja mesh, a brown tunic, track pants, sandals, and had a wok on his back with a basket full of kitchen utensils. The individual also had dark skin and wrinkles on top of a seemingly decrepit form, with grey hair tied into a bun. He was also smiling brightly, and in spite of his age, seemed to glow with liveliness in Naruto's eyes.

The Genin was a bit taken aback upon completing his analysis. "Oh. Whatcha doin all the way out here, gramps?"

The man couldn't help but chuckle at the boy as he waddled over. He wielded a thin staff of some sort, but it didn't look as though he was using it to support him. This indicated he was still in pretty good shape.

"Why, I live around here, son," the elder replied, "I simply came outside for a little bit of fresh air, and to reacquaint myself with my neighbors." Upon stating his reasons, he then pointed back in the direction of the forest from whence he had come from. With that gesture, he then looked back at the boy with his hand placed behind him and an ever present smile on his face. "My name is Kosuke Maruboshi. I am a shinobi of Konohagakure, just like you."

_(Author's Note: Look up Kosuke Maruboshi on Naruto wiki; you'll know who I'm talking about.)_

"R-Really? Wow," Naruto exclaimed, giving the individual before him a good look over again. "You must be, like… a really strong ninja then. I-I mean… no offense jiji, but you… you look really…"

Kosuke chuckled. "Yes, I know, I look old. I've been an active shinobi for over fifty years now, which youngsters like you may think is quite remarkable due to our occupations. Still, after all these years I have survived and I am still fighting fit. But, don't let appearances deceive you," the elder chuckled and walked around the rookie Genin he was speaking with, keeping his eyes focused on the youngster to show that he was still addressing him. "True, I am _strong_… if I may be modest, particularly for a person of my age, but… not as strong as you may think. In fact, I'm still just a Genin…"

"Huh?" Naruto gaped at the man, caught off guard by what he had just heard. "Y-You're a Genin?"

"Indeed," Kosuke said and stopped walking so that he stood level with the boy, as if they were side by side. His body remained facing the giant tree, yet his head was clearly turned in his companion's direction. "Fifty years as a Genin. You would think I would've been promoted by now."

"Yeah. Oh… I-I mean…but… h-how… you… I…" Naruto pointed at the elder, his eyes reflecting his disbelief. "I mean… you _really_ are a Genin?"

"Take my word for it. After so many years of being a shinobi, I've chosen to remain as I am. I've grown quite comfortable with the idea of being a Genin for the rest of my life," Kosuke laughed lightly, before turning to look up at the tree Naruto had been so awestruck by. When the jinchuriki saw him turn, he too focused his attention on the pillar of strength standing before them. The giant became the center of their attention. "Beautiful… isn't she?"

"Y-Yeah. She's amazing," Naruto murmured.

Though he didn't know much about nature or trees, Naruto had this long standing idea in his head that told him plants couldn't grow to that size. It was purely something taken out of fiction, something that defied the laws of physics. Nevertheless, this titan he and Kosuke were facing at that moment had managed to grow into a juggernaut, a model specimen for all others to behold.

"I remember when I first found this tree when I was a little boy. It was no bigger then a potted plant," Kosuke exclaimed, gesturing down towards one of the smaller vegetation's at the gigantic tree's base. When Naruto also looked towards where he was gesturing, he saw a fig no bigger then a peach tree that would normally be found in a backyard garden, growing in between its roots. "I was eleven years old back then, a Genin serving under Tobirama Senju; the Second Hokage."

Naruto caught onto this and looked at the elder in surprise. "The Second Hokage?"

"Yes. He was a remarkable man, a person who taught me many things," Kosuke smiled, his mind taking him back to a much simpler time. "He was also bold, powerful and wise. Heh… he was also the one who clued me onto this tree's existence after one of my missions… instructed me to find it and watch over it, in hopes that one day I would find peace with myself. Since those days, I have watched this tree grow, nurtured it, and protected it. I made it a part of my daily routine to always visit it and stand by her side for a bit, to check on her."

"You did that, gramps? For all these years?" Naruto smiled slightly at that thought. "You're very loyal."

"It was just something I fell into the habit of," Kosuke glanced over at him, grinning a little bit wider. "This tree is called a Hinoki; one of the rarest, largest and most beautiful trees in the world. They say that the First Hokage planted its seed here behind Konoha's mountain in order to preserve his memory and the memories of his loved ones. As a shinobi who desired peace, unity and balance, he felt that this tree was a perfect monument to hold up that idea, and one that will never wither." The elder then gestured towards its trunk, which practically formed a wall before them. The archway of tunnels at its roots created wells, and preserved what looked to be springs of all sorts, blossoming with life. "Ever since that day it was first planted, this tree has grown and blossomed. It also played its part in helping the past Hokages grow and become the great men that they were and are remembered as today."

"Really?"

"The tree is impossible to climb." Kosuke gestured up and down its trunk, emphasizing both its height and structure. "Years of evolution have prevented any person from scaling it or cutting it down. It is strong and rigid, with its surface is coated with a sap that only the most nimble of animals can negotiate. Even for a shinobi, getting to the first branch is one of the toughest challenges of all, something only a strong ninja can accomplish. They'd have to have years of experience climbing trees using chakra to keep them planted."

"Using chakra to climb trees?" Naruto queried. "How do you do that?"

"Oh. You haven't learned the tree climbing or water walking exercises, have you?" Kosuke exclaimed, looking over at the boy, who shook his head. At this admission, the elder murmured and turned back towards the tree, still smiling. "Then why don't I teach you?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked.

"I've climbed this tree several times myself, but have been unable to make it to the very top," the elder pointed and led Naruto over to it, with the boy following in his footsteps with great interest. "I would like to see you try to make it all the way."

"What? C-Climb… all the way up there?" Naruto looked up as he strolled further into the gigantic tree's shadow. The sheer height and the thought of the drop had the boy gulp. "Mmm. I don't know."

"The Third and Fourth Hokage used this very same tree and area to exercise, and strengthen themselves in the art of the shinobi," Kosuke exclaimed, stopping Naruto just short of the base and gesturing him to the area around him. He used his staff to point out random spots of the clearing, before redirecting both of them to their main subject. "Since the time Hiruzen Sarutobi was able to make it to the top, only a handful of other shinobi have tried to accomplish the same feat, with each and every one of them coming up with their own ways of reaching the canopy of the Hinoki." Kosuke placed his hand against the surface of the trunk, and rubbed it in a comforting manner. "The Third climbed it all the way to the top, so did the Fourth, with many other shinobi using the challenge to perfect their techniques and extend their range. Those who make it to the highest point are destined to be the next Hokage."

"Really? That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed, turning towards Kosuke with a fire lit in his eyes and soul. Walking up to the senior shinobi, the boy grinned while gazing at the man admirably, who returned his expression with a curious one. "Please jiji, could you teach me how to climb this tree using chakra? Please, please, please…"

"So… you desire to become a great shinobi as well, like the Fourth?" the elder asked, looking down at the boy curiously. Naruto nodded his head vigorously.

"Yes! Please! It's my dream to become Hokage; so that everyone will acknowledge me and recognize my existence! I want to be able to protect everyone, just like Hokage-jiji, Iruka-sensei, Kotetsu and Izumo! I will do anything to fulfill this dream!" Naruto said eagerly.

He meant every word he spoke, which struck a chord with the elderly shinobi. With his attention focused firmly on the boy, Kosuke smiled and nodded.

"Of course lad," the senior Genin chuckled at his insistence, and turned to face him completely. "I said that I would, didn't I? If the goal of becoming Hokage is what you truly desire, then who am I to deny a fellow comrade? If you feel you are up to it, then I shall oversee your training personally."

"Yatta! Thank you! Thank you!" Naruto bowed to the man, grinning from ear to ear. "I will not let you down!"

* * *

><p><strong>That very next morning…<strong>

In an effort to impress Kosuke and to accomplish the task of reaching the top, Naruto started training immediately. However, his trials up the side of the tree didn't go as well as he had hoped.

After a few hours of practice on some of the smaller trees surrounding the Hinoki, the jinchuriki then sized himself up against the big boss. It looked like a grueling climb, something that could easily be compared to any mountain or cliff anywhere in the world. But no matter how long it took, no matter how hard it was, and no matter how many times he fell, Naruto was going to get to the utmost point of this tree.

But life was a real bitch…

Almost instantly after just hiking several feet up the vessel's side, he was quickly let down… over and over and over again.

To be brutally honest, he had been working at climbing the Hinoki since yesterday afternoon, an effort which was slowly killing him on the inside… metaphorically of course…

For what felt like the hundredth time in a row, Naruto crash landed hard against the lumpy earth of the tower's base, after making it only about forty feet up. His feet had slipped on their own accord upon dragging him about a couple of inches passed his previous mark, before giving way and sending him falling flat towards the ground with a loud thud seconds later.

The boy groaned when he opened his eyes and stared straight up towards the canopy of the towering behemoth, the tree almost looking as though it was laughing at him from where he lay. Amidst the wind and the bare morning sky seen peaking through the surrounding treetops, it looked like the whole forest was swaying in Naruto's eyes.

But then again, he could have simply suffered a minor concussion or was seriously exhausted from all of his efforts.

While Naruto remained sprawled out on the ground, catching his breath, the senior Genin Kosuke overseeing his progress sat quietly on the sidelines close to the edge of the clearing, about forty yards away with his wok on a fire. The elder was cooking breakfast for the both of them, humming a cheerful melody while at the same time casually laboring away.

A highly frustrated Naruto growled and sat up, rubbing his sore head and back. He directed an intense glare at the massive beast making his exercise so exceedingly difficult.

"_It's been twelve hours, and since yesterday I've only managed to climb about twenty five feet!" _Naruto thought with a loud groan as he retraced his previous steps, fully aware that he had about a mile or so to go. "Man, this tree is slippery!" The blonde then turned towards one of the other, smaller trees Kosuke had instructed him to climb to get a better understanding of the concept of climbing through use of chakra.

In a word, they had been way more of an enjoyment to scale than their gargantuan mother, something that kind of peeved the jinchuriki off. His mentor had informed him that about every single shinobi in the world could scale and fly through the tallest of normal trees as if the practice was second nature, and that _only_ a handful of skilled Chunin and Jonin could possibly make it to the first branch of the Hinoki. Those included in the count, aside from the past Kages, included shinobi like Kakashi, Asuma, Gai, Danzo, unknown members of ANBU, Aoba, and other people Naruto never even heard about. Heck, he was pretty vague about most of the list he had been given.

Nevertheless, the thought of other people accomplishing the same task several years older or around the same age made Naruto want to try even harder, but at the rate he was going at he figured he wouldn't be able to make it to the first branch within a month. To reach the top would take two and a half, at least. Not to mention he wasn't all that confident that he could practice straight on, day in and day out, and cut down on the time needed for sleep. He was already knackered from just twelve hours of this.

"Those ones were much easier!" Naruto shouted, pointing at the redwoods surrounding the clearing.

Kosuke chuckled upon hearing the boy's cry of despair, yet continued to thoroughly mix the stir-fry he was cooking up. "It took Hiruzen Sarutobi three months of practice before he was able to climb the whole of the tree in one go, Naruto-kun. Back then, it was a lot shorter and he was a senior Genin at the time. But the Hinoki grows many times faster then bamboo, so when he was finally able to reach the top, it was already level with the noses of the _Hokage Monument_. Use this as a side thought to inspire you, as you train to surpass him."

"Oh, I will," Naruto said and leapt to his feet. Stepping back a few, he then faced the tree down as if it were an opponent and took a stance. "But I'm not going to give up! I will make it to the top of this thing within a week! That's a promise!"

With a primal roar, he charged at the trunk and leapt at it. Slamming his feet into the side he began sprinting up it, maintaining absolute control, balance and consistency over his chakra as he advanced more and more. Concentrating on the tree and only the tree, he climbed and climbed, with the absolute belief that he could make it passed his current record.

Several seconds later though, his foot slipped along the surface again and the boy stalled in his ascent. He shouted out in surprise when he started to fall, but before he had the chance to hit the ground, he back flipped and landed on the grassy clearing on his own two feet, this time with a light tap as opposed to his regular thuds. Huffing in a crouched position, he then took another stance and with another roar, charged at the tree.

"AGAIN!"

This process continued on for the next few minutes with the only sounds present in the entire forest coming from the boy shouting curses and words of encouragement at his body, providing something of a back theme to the normally peaceful surroundings. Curious animals drawn to the commotion watched on from their hiding places in the woods as Naruto tried again and again to keep himself planted to his tree. However, with every attempt from then on, he made it at least an inch or so further every time. It often jumped with him climbing a foot or two further, before he inevitably lost balance and fell back the way he came.

On about the fortieth try from his invigorated restart, he fell, and once again landed, crouching on all fours to absorb the impact of the drop. With the thought of taking off again set firmly in his head, he set himself into a sprinting start, only to stop in mid-launch.

Panting for breath and looking in an even worse state then before, the boy glared up towards the tree with a tight scowl. For several seconds onwards he stared, catching his breath and reenergizing his body for possibly another attempt, his eyes locked onto the sheer size and glory of the tree. Heh. It was quite funny. No matter how many times he looked at it, even though he had been trying to scale it for some time, it always appealed to him as an impossible entity to conquer.

But that didn't mean he was going to flat out give up on admiration and respect for the towering life giver.

Still, fatigue was overcoming, and with a sigh he stood straight up and walked over to his mentor. Kosuke smiled when he saw the boy begin to approach and quickly divided both rice and stir-fry between them, setting a bowl on the tree stump in front of his student. When the young jinchuriki sat down before the fire, he just lain collapsed, allowing exhaustion to take over his weary form.

"This is ridicules," Naruto groaned, running a hand down his face and wiping sweat from his brow. He wiped his palm over his dirty jacket, looking over at the elder with an almost resigned expression of disgruntlement. "No matter how hard I try to hold onto the sucker, I just keep falling."

"It's because the surface of the tree is like a running waterfall," Kosuke exclaimed. "Your chakra is attempting to keep you planted against an ever changing surface. Unlike regular trees the sap of the Hinoki oozes out of its pores to form a very fine, delicate, but also extremely versatile layer, with the microscopic densities upsetting your grip with every step you climb. Why not try treating it as if you were walking on water?"

Kind of taken aback by the words and amidst his panting, Naruto leaned into a more appropriate sitting position and stared at the man curiously. "H-How would I do that?"

"Think of the tree as if it were the surface of a lake or river," Kosuke exclaimed, setting down his ladle and collecting his own bowl of rice and vegetables. He then held out a single chopstick at the tip of his finger and balanced it on it so that it bobbed sort of like a seesaw. "Water is in a constant state of movement and unlike a solid, its molecular density isn't as tightly packed. Therefore, you must adapt your chakra control to the tree like it is a continuously changing surface like water or mud. If you can do that, then you can climb any tree and cross any lake." Kosuke smiled and then directed attention to his meal. "It just takes time."

"Hmm… it's very complicated," Naruto squinted in confusion as he mulled over the tips given to him by the elder. "But… I'll _try_." The blonde picked up his bowl and eating utensils. Sniffing the meal and testing the temperature he then dug into it, joining the elder in breakfast. Since he wasn't that much of a fan of vegetables, Naruto first tried picking around for the more meaty substances available. However, unable to hide from the whole content of the feast and that most of it consisted of vegetables, the boy eventually resigned to his fate and dug into the beans and other slices. The first few bites had the youngster reel back in surprise. "Wow, this is delicious!"

"Yes, I've been cooking for years," Kosuke replied, swallowing the food in his mouth. "When you've been out on as many missions as I have, you pick up more than a few things. You learn how to cook for yourself, forage, learn what plants are good for you, what herbs are bad for you, and you learn how to survive. It's one of my specialties."

"Well, either way this is great, oji-san," the jinchuriki grinned, gesturing at the meal. "You're an excellent ninja and a fantastic cook! It's true. I don't even like vegetables that much, yet this food is filled with them!"

"Why, thank you, Naruto-kun," the senior Genin replied with a gracious bow, and continued eating.

They ate in relative silence from then on, surrounded by nothing but earth and wood. But it wasn't to last.

Before Naruto could tucker away on his second serving, he heard a rustling in the trees behind him and glanced over his shoulder. All eyes locked onto the undergrowth, where both he and Kosuke saw two shadows step into view. They appeared to hang back for bit, before eventually stepping into the light of the sun. The jinchuriki expected intruders, but to his surprise saw that it was the two clones he had left behind at his apartment to study the books he had left for them. From the state the two were in, they looked as though they had spent hours trying to track him down.

"There you are, boss!" the clone on the right shouted, brushing leaves off of his shoulder. "We've been looking everywhere for yah!"

"We got worried when you didn't come back home last night!" the other clone exclaimed. Shaking off the long distance they had traveled, both of the copies walked over to their host, who was currently in the process of scowling them for interrupting his meal.

"Why the heck didn't you guys dispel when you finished?" Naruto grumbled, lowering his bowl.

"Well… we finished the books we were reading, but then we got bored and decided to go look for something else to do," the first clone spoke up, crossing his arms to affirm his position on the subject. "We didn't know where you were or what you were doing, so we had heaps of free time to kill… but then we got bored of walking around as well and went searching for you instead."

"It took us forever… but now… here we are!" the other copy exclaimed grandly, looking around the clearing. "What a nice place."

Kosuke chuckled at the sight of the doppelgangers arguing with their master, the elder clearly amused by the fact that his temporary student could even share a conversation with his clones. Shinobi who had had experience with the clone jutsu never had the privilege of talking with the bodies they managed to produce, let alone maintain them for an extended period of time. But then again, the elder had predicated things up until this point, what with the boy's character and potential.

"Yeah, well, it would have been easier if you guys had just dispelled, so that I could get the information you tw…" Naruto was about to grill his doppelgangers out for their stupidity, when his mind eventually swung around onto an important realization.

Blinking as he stared at his shadow clones the young ninja then slapped his hand to his forehead for not coming up with this answer sooner. Cursing himself, he turned back to Kosuke and, before he could fall into a tirade of yelling and put downs on himself, he set his food down on the stump he was using as a chair and table, and grabbed his hair with his left hand. He reigned himself into a more appropriate mood.

"Kami, I am so stupid!" the jinchuriki cried out. "Shadow Clones! I can use the _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_to speed up my training! Geez!" The boy turned to the two copies he had out and willingly dispelled them, the two doppelgangers vanishing into puffs of smoke. With a renewed grin the boy turned back towards his mentor. "I can use my jutsu to… oooh…" His mind then instantly became dead weight when he was simultaneously hit at close range, with the combined knowledge and experience of his two clones' twelve hours of long life. The rebound from the maintained technique nearly knocked him out, and since he was exhausted from his other exercises, it meant the aftereffects hit him like a ton of bricks. "Oohhh… mind crap."

"Take it easy, Naruto-kun," Kosuke exclaimed, jabbing his chopsticks in his direction. "Don't want to work yourself too hard."

"Ugh. It's not that bad after you get used to it," the boy replied, shaking off the affects of the dispelling clones, despite his head still spinning from the wipe out of memories. "It was just two clones and hours of information to take in at point blank range. Anyway… as I was saying, I can use the _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_ to speed up my tree climbing exercise and get me to the top faster. I can use whole bunches of clones to scale the one tree at the same time, and then dispel them to absorb the experiences and techniques necessary to make it work."

"Hmm… good plan," Kosuke nodded, holding his bowl up again to continue eating. "Try it out. See how it goes for you."

Eager to give it another go, Naruto hurriedly finished his second meal and thanked the cook. After setting the bowl aside, he then hopped back to his feet and directed his attention towards the goliath tree, the seemingly unbeatable opponent. With the Hinoki set squarely in his sights he formed the trademark one-handed hand seal and conjured up the necessary number of clones he would need to make it up the tree in the allotted time. Explosions of smoke engulfed the entire area and within seconds, it was filled with a platoon's worth of about fifty, ragged looking copies.

Despite his chakra already being stretched to the limit thanks to the training, Naruto set himself his mark. The clones, though exhausted, were pumped and ready for action. All at once, they lined up, dropped low, and went for it…

"Wait a second, Naruto-kun," Kosuke exclaimed, stopping the army dead in its tracks.

All the doppelgangers froze, eliciting some groans and complaints from the horde. Relaxing, the original standing at the back of the pack turned around to face the elder, responding to the call. The senior Genin, still in the midst of eating, jabbed his chopsticks in the boy's direction and then towards the tree.

"There are more ways then one in which you can try reaching the top of Hinoki," Kosuke exclaimed. "Why not, instead of attempting to climb like Hiruzen and Minato did, you try jumping to the top of the tree? _Aim towards the skies_, as they say."

"Jumping? Skies?" Naruto blinked, moments before frowning when reality caught up with the advice he was just given. "Come on gramps, that's crazy. Nobody in this whole damn country can jump that high! I would have to be able to fly to even reach the top of this thing!"

"Think of it as flexibility in your training," Kosuke explained, dipping his chopsticks back into their bowl. "Let your clones negotiate the tree. If you also wish to perfect your taijutsu, why not try leg extension exercises?"

"What are those?" Naruto asked, stepping out of the line up of clones.

"If you have chakra, you can climb a tree by scaling it with your feet alone," Kosuke then smiled more brightly at him. "However, think about what would happen if you didn't have any chakra whatsoever to help support you up the tree. What will you do then?"

"That's easy," Naruto said while stopping and placing his hands on his hips. "I would simply climb the tree through my own strength. I've been unable to perform any ninjutsu whatsoever for years or use any of my chakra up until just a few days ago. I think I know a thing or two about fighting under my own power and pushing my body's limits…"

"Ahh… but there's the point. As an alternative to just exercising your control over your chakra, you can instead continue increasing your own body's natural strength and dexterity," Kosuke stated. "A shinobi doesn't just rely on his chakra. A smart, calculative shinobi also relies on his own fitness and capabilities beyond the limits of his spiritual and physical energies. Hiruzen Sarutobi is able to jump to the top of a red wood in a single bound. Think about what you can accomplish by strengthening yourself beyond that point…"

Naruto blinked at this and rubbed his chin in thought. Looking back, he saw his clones lose interest in the conversation and direct themselves towards the tree. They scaled it on mass, some of them falling, some of them climbing on, before eventually pushing off. The clones did it in waves of dozens at a time, falling like rain and running back up like a stream. Though the original admitted that it would probably take him a lot longer to reach the top through chakra alone, he then considered the possibility of cutting that time _completely_ in half.

With an affirmative nod, the original turned back to Kosuke.

"What do I need to do?"

* * *

><p><strong>Several minutes later…<strong>

"THIS IS INSANE!" Naruto cried out in misery, while at the same time trying to carry the massive boulder sitting on top of his back, strapped to him by high-tension rope. "I CAN'T MOVE! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!"

The jinchuriki's screams scared a flock of birds from their perch and they flew screeching away from the forest. Meanwhile, the one who had disturbed the natural order of things was nearly hunched over with what could only be described as an incredibly heavy, lumpy and uncomfortable weight on his shoulders. Not to mention his forearms and his legs… _**all**_ of his limbs were held down by stones, also bound to him by rope. The totality of the mass precariously balanced on his small frame all stacked up in the end, and while the weights on his arms and legs were enough to prevent him from walking straight or even walking at all, the giant boulder about the size of a hay wagon he was carrying kept him firmly planted.

Each step was as painful as passing a kidney stone.

On top of that, Naruto was starting off this exercise in his underwear, with no sandals, no headband, or any excess gear of any kind.

"GOD DAMMIT!"

"Try to keep the curses to yourself my boy," Kosuke chuckled from where he sat on a fallen log several meters away, hands propped on his walking cane as he watched the youngster work. The commotion of the clones in the next clearing running up and down the Hinoki was practically drowned out by this new event. All the while, the old man continued to wear his perfectly cheerful smile as if it were a daily routine in his life. "It does a person's character good to maintain a firm yet _vigorous_outlook. The world was built upon the words of wisdom, a sharp stick and a strong backbone. Don't let one aspect about your personality outweigh the others."

"This ROCK is outweighing everything!" Naruto growled, taking another step forward, his entire body trembling. His legs were shaking the most and with every step he took through gritted teeth, he had this constant dread gnawing at the back of his mind that he was going to fall over. "I don't see how… _gra-argh_… I will ever be able to jump from tree to tree, let alone run, with this… _argh_… thing on my back!"

"Sometimes you have to learn how to run before you can walk," the senior Genin exclaimed.

"Iruka-sensei used that on me too! AAAARRRGGGHHH!" Naruto bellowed out and took another step. Whether out of pain or anguish he didn't know. It hurt either way. "I CAN'T WIN AGAINST MY TEACHERS."

"Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat," Kosuke sung.

"HE USED THAT ONE AS WELL!"

* * *

><p><strong>As the days passed…<strong>

Naruto was put through hell on earth, within reasonable grounds and without any verbal abuse from his teacher whatsoever. Kosuke was, to put it in brief, a really nice man, not one to curse, glower, or raise his voice from impatience. He had patience to spare. Years of being a ninja and taking missions alongside many of his other fellow shinobi had molded him into a superb individual, and Naruto knew this just from looking at him. However, it wasn't just on appearances. It was also for a fact that the elder shinobi had this warm aura about him that the jinchuriki felt was okay and was far from the leers and sneers that he had had directed towards him from the rest of the villagers. _Konoha's Eternal Genin_ was definitely a wise, kind, considerate, and judging from his aura, a powerful warrior.

The only aspect that sort of balanced the scales on the fondness of his character was that he was very prompt and tended to take the stages of training two steps at a time. Obviously, Kosuke wanted Naruto to get the tree climbing exercise and body strengthening down at the _same _time within the week, which showed just how gentle hearted he could be in addition to being extremely disciplined.

A part of Naruto considered this trait to be evil…

The man simply pushed and encouraged him by being nice to him. That was a whole new level of evil that the jinchuriki only expected to come from Iruka. If it weren't for the hundreds of years of age difference, the blonde swore that the two of them would have gotten along tormenting him quite swimmingly.

As for the training, it was tough.

No, **beyond** tough.

Carrying around boulders on his back while at the same time stretching his chakra on the clone jutsu to the max was the hardest trials he had ever been through in all of his years of education and practical exercises.

He was certain he was making record breaking leaps in his progress, because by the end of the week he felt that he had propelled himself way above the academy graduate averages.

This knowledge came with the experiences and pain.

The first day of tree climbing was very similar to his first day of using jutsu. It was essentially a crash course in getting the feel of the exercises and taking it from there. On the second day, he took it up a notch, combining the tree climbing exercises with his jutsu and leg extension training.

The latter perhaps meant more to him then the tree climbing.

While the clones handled the chakra aspect of the training, he had to bear with the strength enhancing. His body got the workout of a lifetime on that first day dragging stones, as he forced himself from a slow crawl to eventually a steady walk. By the time afternoon broke the horizon, he was jogging at a gentle pace through the forests and hills behind Konohagakure's mountain.

Then he passed out.

He woke up several hours later in midday, where he was once again greeted by a smiling Kosuke and a delicious breakfast.

The training took yet another step up when Naruto then had to work on upper body strength in conjunction with his running route. His temporary teacher took him to the mountain side and got him to climb the cliff to the top with the boulders. The jinchuriki, as usual, took this as yet another challenge. In so doing, he pushed his body to its max, improvising with whatever ledge he was given and pulling himself up to the next one.

However, he didn't succeed the first time. In fact, he was sent tumbling down the near vertical mountainside at least three times with his heavy baggage still strapped to him, but always managed to pull himself back up and start again. This was then followed up by a run across a wide open river, which was flowing quickly in the direction of the village. Some people would consider the next exercise on the canal strange and ungainly, but it wasn't an ordinary one. It was a shallow causeway with slippery rocks and pebbles at the bottom, and Naruto was instructed to run clean across with barely a break in the water's surface.

Kosuke expected fine, lightning fast footwork and not a single ripple.

Needless to say, Naruto nearly drowned more then once when he fell in and had to be pulled back up. The frequent dips equated to the amount of sweat he had shed that entire day.

Following that ridiculously difficult trial, he was then ordered to climb trees under his own power and to negotiate the branches high above the ground. As shinobi, they were required to scale branches, vines and tree trunks of all shapes and sizes, even the smallest ones, with zero disturbances that would alert their targets to their presence. Naruto on the other hand, had to do this with _extra_ weight, and that meant pushing passed what he had achieved back in the academy when the students were expected to climb trees and leap from branch to branch till it was as natural was breathing.

A ninja with a backpack full of supplies: no problem. A ninja with heavy feet and a carrying the equivalent of a farm cart on his back: a completely different story.

Naruto was drilled again and again until he got it right, and for him that meant climbing back up the tree every time he toppled over or his perch broke. He had to train his body to take the weight and match it with the most flimsiest and weakest of platforms. If he could do that, then he could traverse any terrain with the heaviest of weight a shinobi could possibly carry.

The boy was not going to give in without a fight.

Even if that meant Kosuke sitting on top of his boulder as he did press ups with his legs.

In order to make his body strong enough so that it was naturally used to enormous amounts of weight, Naruto performed all forms of leg strengthening exercises in between each of his sessions. Between his laps, the cliff scaling, navigating the rivers running down the mountain and the tree climbing, the jinchuriki did squats, leg raises, and balancing the boulder on his feet with the elder shinobi drinking tea on top of it. Whenever a drop of tea was spilt when the boulder was off balance, Kosuke kindly asked Naruto to repeat.

Two days later, with only three days from team allocations, Naruto made outstanding progress.

Kosuke grinned proudly as he watched Naruto complete his laps with barely any sweat or effort at all, trailing up hills and jumping over fallen logs with ease, as if he were a normal runner navigating and hurdling obstacles. His progress only grew more so towards the afternoon of that very same day, as the boy was able to scale the cliffs of Konoha's mountains and its trees without expending much energy at all.

The river running still posed a bit of a problem though, as he was unable to prevent his feet from sinking into the surface. But that fact would later become overshadowed by more of his accomplishments over the following days and nights.

Soon to be wiped clean as Naruto leapt towards the tree tops…

The physical workouts and the chakra building exercises added all up to the equivalent of three months of training. The boy's naturally insane growth rate and durability aided him in his success.

With Kosuke sitting on top of his boulder as he ran his laps on the last couple of days, Naruto had perfected his timing and balance to the point that as he ran, the senior he was also carrying was able to drink his tea without a single drop spilt. The jinchuriki also showed off his increased speed, agility and acrobatics by performing elaborate jumps from certain points across a rocky surface, and flipping over huge logs and boulders scattered around the forest, all with the weights still strapped to him. He even managed to propel himself across the river with barely a ripple made by his footsteps at all.

By the time of his last day, Naruto was sailing through the treetops with his boulders in tow, traversing vines and running down thin branches with a wide smile on his face. The more he progressed and pushed himself that day, the higher he went. Soon enough, he was leaping from tree to tree high up in the canopies.

However, the only obstacle that remained was the _Hinoki_ proudly situated behind _Monument Mountain_, overseeing his accomplishments and his progress.

* * *

><p><strong>Morning of the last day of the break…<strong>

**The day before team allocations...**

Naruto grinned as he came barreling into the clearing, performing a series of dynamic flips before landing on his own bare feet with a light thump. Straightening up, he then dusted himself down and looked up at the giant boulder on his shoulders to see Kosuke still sitting in the same spot with an impressed look on his face and a beaming smile. Picking himself up from his seated position, the elder then hopped off of the 'backpack' and waddled out of the way so that he could face Naruto completely.

He gestured towards the boy, who stood waiting patiently for his fellow shinobi to comment on his development.

"You did splendidly," Kosuke exclaimed, nodding in approval, "Perfect balance and superb speed and agility. On top of that, you also displayed great strength and confidence." He then glanced over his shoulder towards the _Hinoki_, the giant tree that has shadowed them for the past week. With the sun breaking through its canopy, signaling the start of an early morning, Kosuke took this as an appropriate sign and turned back to his student. "I believe you are ready, my boy."

Naruto blinked, staring at the elderly shinobi in surprise. "A-Are you sure?"

Kosuke nodded and craned his head to the side, while tapping his staff to the ground. "You may remove your weights now."

The blonde smiled in understanding, and promptly removed his arm and leg weights first. After which, he then removed the large boulder's straps from around his body, which had been adorned like the bands of a backpack. The giant stone hit the ground with an earthshaking thud that caused the trees to rustle, dust to fly, and made Kosuke bounce on the spot at its impact, literally digging into the soil beneath the tree.

Naruto stretched his sore arms and legs, finding that his whole body was shockingly lighter and that his laziest movements alone were much faster then before. The world seemed to tick by at a much more labored pace once he had removed the tons of weight from his body.

"Wow… this is _so_ weird," the Genin exclaimed, looking down at his hands and feet. "Moving isn't hard at all anymore. I feel like I can do anything."

"Your body has reached a new level of natural strength and endurance that ordinary people wouldn't be able to accomplish in years, not without incredibly hard work," Kosuke stated while looking the jinchuriki up and down. "I knew you would be able to complete the challenges I set out for you, because your body has an outstanding growth rate, and that you also had the guts to do it. Anyone else would have crumbled."

"Really?" Naruto looked up at the elder in surprise, who nodded back affirmatively.

"You surpassed my expectations," Kosuke stepped back. "Now… give it a go." He tapped the ground with his staff. "Just push off of the ground, as if you were skipping on your toes…"

Naruto nodded and looked down at his feet, stretching the appendages at the ends. He took a moment to breathe and to mentally prepare himself for what was going to happen next. He had no idea what the results would entail, but he felt it had to be something big.

He only had to bend his knees ever so slightly to acquire the necessary stance and once he felt that he was ready, he gently pushed off of the ground. The results he had been expecting to achieve from his whole week of overly strenuous exercises with tons of weight placed upon him at the insistence of Kosuke, was to merely bounce off of the ground a meter or so above his normal skipping height.

However, there was something different.

The cool refreshing breeze rushing passed him, and the feel of gravity relinquishing its never ending hold over him, told him that something wonderful had just happened.

Shockingly enough, his effortless hop turned out to be something completely different from what he was expecting, when a mere foot high jump turned into an easy ten story leap. His 40 kilogram body gracefully floated effortlessly into the air like a leaf caught in an updraft. Blinking in surprise, the boy's eyes cast downwards when he realized he was still climbing after several seconds and fifteen stories, and saw Kosuke far below looking up at him with a proud smile.

Naruto's astounded expression then transformed into a full blown grin and he dove for ground zero. As soon as he hit solid earth, he then crouched and sprang back into the air, the jump tripling by the second when he literally rocketed past his previous height and soared onwards.

"WHOOHOO!" Naruto hollered out in triumph, scaring birds from their roosts and watching them fly off. He flew further towards the skies, easily blitzing right by the birds he startled and the tallest red hoods in the area.

But he didn't stop there.

Thanks to his small size and weight distribution, in conjunction with the training he received, he achieved better results then even Kosuke had been hoping for. The old man noted from the ground that the boy was breezing past previous records, even Hiruzen's in just one leap.

Within seconds of making his best jump ever, Naruto reached the utmost highest branches of the _Hinoki_ before his flight pattern began to slow. Moments later, the boy could see the very peak of the tree stretching towards the clouds, with its highest leaf fluttering on the wind.

The atmosphere, sound and temperature easily changed at the altitude the jinchuriki has reached, an immediate transition in comparison to scaling up the whole of Konoha's Mountain, which took about an hour or less. Naruto managed it in the blink of an eye. Thrilled, the young Genin grinned excitedly and quickly dove back towards the ground, making sure to slow his descent and balance out his landing. Ten seconds later, he touched the center of the clearing with merely a tap.

As soon as he landed, he then crouched low and grinned up at Kosuke standing right beside him.

He wasn't going to stop now.

"Watch this, jiji!" With a laugh, Naruto then propelled himself even higher, kicking up dust and leaves in an ascent equivalent to that of a kunai thrown at full speed. About ten seconds later, he surpassed his previous mark and went even further. In fact, he reached such a height that he could practically see the entire village of Konohagakure across the flat top of the mountain and the wall encircling the ninja capital. After a hang time of about five seconds, Naruto then dove towards the very top of the tree.

Making out the highest leaf he could find, he dove straight into the bushes crowning the _Hinoki_ and grabbed it, before landing on the branches within and beginning a quick descent through the tree.

He slammed his feet into the tree's arms and, using his chakra, slicked his grip against the surface of the pillar of wood. Within moments of touching down Naruto found himself sliding down the branches of the tree, ducking and dodging other branches as he surfed through the canopy. The boy cheered out with every jump and loop, exchanging branches every so often, before eventually hitting the center trunk and switching to it. He tried to make the slide down as elegant and stylish as possible, putting his back up against it and cart wheeling just for the fun of it. Eventually, a minute or so later, he reached the base, and willed himself to stop just a few meters from the ground.

Arms folded, he skidded to a stop with his feet still planted against the tree, leaving him hanging horizontal to the ground.

Looking up, he grinned up at Kosuke and showed him the leaf he managed to snag.

"Let's see old-man Hokage beat this! Hehe," the jinchuriki exclaimed happily. The elder Genin chuckled and gave him the thumbs up.

"Well done, Naruto-kun," Kosuke spoke, putting his hand behind him and looking up at the tree. "You've progressed even further than than I had predicted. Your extra training with your shadow clones has also continued to your boost in strength and capabilities. Why don't you try _just_ climbing to the top?"

"Sure. Be back in a bit!" Naruto unfolded his arms and turned around so that his back was facing the ground. Crouching low, he set himself into a sprinting start against the tree's side. Adjusting his footing, he raised himself and sprang into a run, arms hanging out to keep him balanced while he tore up the towering trunk.

Kosuke watched him progress up the tree's side little by little, unrelenting in his route.

It took about a minute before the youngster eventually left his sight beyond the lower branches of the tree. To put it into perspective, the tree's height was perfectly level with the top of the mountain, with the lowest branches being about half way down it. The rest of the empty trunk was about thirty to forty stories alone. It was a gargantuan tree, and no matter how many times you could stand under it, even the senior Genin couldn't believe his eyes.

About ten minutes later, the old man at the base of the tree was once more greeted with the sight of Naruto sliding back into view. Concentrating chakra at his feet to give him enough traction, the jinchuriki, for the second time that day, skated right down the side of the _Hinoki_. Easily maintaining his balance and a steady speed, he then pushed off and dove towards the ground. Moments later, he landed right in front of Kosuke, crouching to absorb the impact.

Panting, the boy rose to his feet and faced his teacher, who smiled and nodded to him.

"Get to the top alright?"

"It took a while," Naruto huffed, wiping his brow with the back of his arm. "You wouldn't believe how many squirrels live up there."

Kosuke chuckled. "Hope you didn't scare them," the old man replied, feeling both relieved and proud of his temporary student.

Now that he was assured that the boy had accomplished his goal for the week, with renewed confidence in his dreams to becoming Hokage, the elderly man now felt that his duty was done, and slowly turned heel. With a gentle wave over his shoulder, Kosuke started for home, leaving the area at a leisurely pace so that he could further enjoy the day that had started. It took Naruto a few seconds to realize that his mentor was leaving him and tried to follow.

"Where are you going, jiji?"

"Home of course," Kosuke exclaimed and stopped, turning towards the youngster slightly. "I said that I would teach you how to climb this tree and I did. There is nothing more I can do for you now, accept to tell you to keep getting stronger and wish you the best of luck for the future."

Naruto stammered and stepped forward some more, not entirely convinced that things were over between him and his teacher. "T-There has to be more to it than that, sensei! How will I be able to maintain this strength I achieved? I know this isn't enough for sure… not against a veteran Chunin or Jonin. I'll still need to get stronger if I'm going to become Hokage some day. What should I do?"

The senior Genin nodded his head affirmatively, understanding the boy's worried inquiries. "Keep working hard, Naruto-kun. Always encourage yourself to train to improve your skills, and push yourself to reach even greater heights. Take every victory and every defeat as another stepping stone to an even greater accomplishment, and let each of them be a lesson for you to learn from." Kosuke turned back around and began walking away, his sights set on the forest ahead. "Protect your comrades and good luck. If you ever need me, come find me…"

The jinchuriki was about to follow after him with more question, but quickly opted against that course and stopped. After hearing what Kosuke had to say, the boy knew right then and there that things between them were done… for now. Both had accomplished what they had set out to do for that week, with outstanding results. Realizing this, Naruto simply let out a sigh after watched the elderly shinobi disappear into the shadows of the forests, humming the same gentle tune the blonde had heard him sing over the past several days. As soon as he was gone, silence fell over the forests before the sounds of birds and insects filled in the gap that was once held by the two of them training.

Naruto looked about him, isolating each sound that emerged from the underbrush, and turned back towards the Hinoki behind him, craning his head to look up towards its canopy one last time.

After gazing at its crown for several seconds, the boy smiled and saluted to it.

"Thanks a bunch. You… you don't know how much this means to me…" Naruto grinned. "It might take a while, but I promise… I _will_ become Hokage some day."

With that said he then quickly got himself dressed, and after making sure he had everything he had arrived with on his person, the jinchuriki then started his own way home. Hands in his pockets and feeling lighter than ever, Naruto set his sights on tomorrow.

"_I can't wait to show everybody how strong I've become…" _It was this thought that made the Genin more excited then ever about the coming days. He sprung with each step he took, putting his hands behind his head and imagining all of the possible things he could now accomplish with his new ability.

However, after considering the various prospects running through his head of openly displaying his jumping capabilities in front of his classmates to prove that he was ready to be a shinobi, the boy then paused in mid-thought. Looking ahead, he stopped in the middle of the trail for a minute.

Looking a bit surprised, the Genin then looked back the way he had came, where he spotted the _Hinoki_ standing in the middle of the clearing.

Everything that has happened to him over the whole of the two weeks came back full force, making the boy reassess his decisions. The values he had taken to heart, the sweat, the pain, the weight he had managed to take, and the experiences, it was all _his_ and his alone to carry. Self indulgence was one thing, but to brag about his increased strength to others was another story entirely. A ninja was supposed to present him or herself in a manner that was dignifying. Their personality would speak stories about their character, where they could use their attained strength and skills to protect others, and not look down upon them.

With that idea in mind, the boy then shrugged the thought of bragging off of his shoulders and shook his head, continuing his march for home. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, sleep deprivation finally catching up to him.

"_Nah. A shinobi needs to carry as many surprises as he can when entering the battlefield. It's best that I keep this to myself…"_

However, upon dispersing that topic in question, something else that he had been keeping in the dark came back to him.

He had completely forgotten about it, thanks to all of the retraining and training he had been put through…

"_Oh yeah… that's right. I haven't named the technique in my right hand yet…"_

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note on the Chapter (Read before reviewing):<strong>_

_I'm a little bit tired of Sasuke always being conveyed as the strongest and most genetically gifted out of the entirety of the Rookie Nine, so I decided to do something about it. Naruto has just as much potential swimming through him as everybody else, so I'm fixing it in the most realistic way possible. I'll also fix up the others a little bit, but I'll stick as close to the series as possible._

_So before you start commenting on the improbabilities in this chapter, consider this:_

_Sasuke was able to take down Zabuza's clone after a week of just the tree climbing exercises, and match Haku's speed when he awakened the Sharingan (wtf?). He was also able to learn the Chidori and increase his speed to match Lee's in just a month during the Chunin exams, and had accomplished so much more than Naruto over the two year gap to a level equal to that of a Kage in Shippuden. Why couldn't Naruto? I always feel the author keeps neglecting him. What's more, he gives Naruto so many more problems with everything he learns then Sasuke; like his arm being damaged using Rasenshuriken, the fact he can only use it twice, his Sage Mode limit being fifteen minutes with such risks gathering the natural energy, his inability to transform into Nine Tails after controlling it, the Tailed Beast Ball he has yet to master… ARGH! It annoys me. He has all these problems while Sasuke has very little, especially in Shippuden._

_Naruto has a very high growth rate, as shown when he was able to increase his strength and speed to match Kakashi's when he learned how to manipulate his Wind Element, and took down Kakuza. His clones increased a training period of a year or so (can't quite remember) and compressed it down to a week… or something like that. It just baffles me that he didn't make such a leap before in the two-three year gap (maybe because Jiraiya was such a lazy ass when it came to training him, I don't know). Either way, if Naruto really pushed himself in the earlier stages in the series, he could be more on par with Sasuke or Neji, without any help from the Kyuubi._

_At this point in the story, after relearning his jutsu with one hand, doing the tree climbing exercises and the leg extension exercises, he'll be a bit more competent when it comes to the missions now. He may have gotten stronger, but not __**that**__ strong. He's a bit above Sasuke's level overall. I won't be giving him any made up or new jutsu, just expanding on the basics he's learned, the Kage Bunshin and his taijutsu. He may be able to use jutsu now, but I'm not going to give him anything flashy, just make him smarter in battle. He'll still have his screw-ups, but not as humiliating like in the series._

_I took this tree idea after watching takes on the Naruto Ninja Storm game, when you're learning the tree climbing exercise and the tree you ran up went for quite a while. Giving Naruto a tree that was hard to keep hold of normally from the canon exercise was an idea I've wanted to use for a bit._

_Also, I'm not going to reveal the real ability in his arm just yet. It'll be some time… WAY later in the story._

_Stick around, it'll get better. Hope you enjoyed this chapter._

_Note: I took this idea from the Samurai Jack episode of Season II. That was __**so**__ cool! Now Naruto can jump good! lol_


	6. Konohamaru

**NARUTO**

**Destiny Breaker**

_Konohamaru_

**Later that morning…**

"_Jutsu Smasher… no… Energy Blaster… no… Hand of God… hmm…Touch of Destiny?" _Naruto murmured passively in his head, rubbing his chin in absent thought at the same time as he looked off to the side in quiet abandon. He was so caught up in his thinking of a name for the technique in his right hand that he was completely oblivious to everything else going on around him, including the Chunin locked in intense conversation at the student evaluation table in front of him.

The jinchuriki frowned and folded his arms, his face scrunching up in response to the whirlwind of thoughts in his head. It was really starting to bite him.

"_Hand of God is awesome… but that name sort of implies that I am better then Hokage-jiji," _Naruto huffed and turned his head again, his face maintaining that squint-eyed expression. _"There is no way I'm on oji-san's level, not even after all that leg extension and tree climbing exercises I went through. Let's see… what other names are there." _The boy shook his head. "Gah! Why did I ever think _Sheldon_ was a good name? That's so stupid!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up from the profile document Naruto had handed him, which the boy had composited earlier that day and passed it on to the shinobi board for evaluation. The Chunin accompanying the Hokage were also distracted from their labored discussions over the already assessed profiles handed in from the other academy students when Naruto started speaking out of term, their heads turning in his direction to see him muttering senselessly to himself.

The boy clad in orange then let out a frustrated growl and shook his head furiously, arms folded and his feet hiked up on the legs of the chair he was sitting on.

"No! No! _The awesome one who punches all in the face _is way too corny, and there is no way I'm going with _Righty!_ Geez brain!" Naruto thumped himself in the cranium with his fist. "Pull yourself together!"

The Third sighed and cleared his throat, stopping the restless jinchuriki on his wayward path to self destruction by verbal abuse.

"Please keep your voice down, Naruto," Hiruzen coughed, looking up at the youngster through the vapors of his pipe hanging from his mouth. "You're disturbing the peace."

"Oh…" Naruto sat up properly and grinned childishly. "Sorry, oji-san."

"Geez," Hiruzen smiled slightly, returning to skimming over the words Naruto had written.

To be quite frank, the Hokage thought the boy had done quite a descent job. Sure it was rushed due to the fact he had been out of home for most of the week, but his grammar and spelling was spot on. The boy had been brutally honest in his comments as well as his analysis on himself, which was inscribed in the corresponding boxes set up for him on the document.

His name: Naruto Uzumaki. Following that was his date of birth on October 10th, academy graduate age of twelve, blood type, height, weight, affiliation, ninja rank and ninja registration number. All of that was simply trivial user material, which then led on to the more personal information. The boy's hobbies included 'training, pulling pranks, and eating ramen'… understandable, his specialty was 'close range, brawling and miscellaneous', and his favorite color was orange. Not the most sophisticated but certainly the most colorful.

Sakura Haruno took her time in decorating her profile document with every skill and attribute she could think of, about herself.

Not really the best idea, since a ninja should always be small on the details and speak briefly.

Naruto knew that fact well, but ignored it through frequent flamboyant displays and his utter disregard for silence.

Furthermore, the picture he had the photographer snap of him was more then suitable. The boy had unzipped his orange jacket to free up his movement, showing the dark blue T-shirt he wore underneath and the necklace with the Uzumaki clan spiral hanging from it (though he didn't know that it was a clan symbol). He also had his goggles over his forehead and his headband hanging from his neck. To complete this, he struck a side pose with his fist extended towards the camera, a sideways thumbs-up, and a striking smile on his face.

It was very smart looking.

Perfect for world's greatest shinobi magazine, but maybe a bit too flashy for an official profile.

Hiruzen however, shrugged it off and slipped the paper into Naruto's file. He then proceeded to speak with the boy.

"It looks to be all in order. Thank you, Naruto. You actually made an effort."

The jinchuriki blinked at the old man, seeing his smile and quickly mulling over the comment given. A tick mark then formed over his head and he pointed at the elder shinobi.

"HEY! What's that supposed to mean?" the boy shouted, nearly jumping out of his seat in outrage. "I put effort into everything, gramps! You know that!"

The Hokage chuckled. "Maybe. But you did leave this document to the last minute… right before the day your teams are organized. What do you think that says about some of your managerial skills?"

"Grrr," Naruto folded his arms and looked away with a huff. "Whatever. It's not like this stuff is that important. Shinobi shouldn't even have profiles to begin with. What with everything we do on a day-to-day basis; espionage, spying, collecting intelligence, killing, routine odd jobs and alike. Information about ninja should be kept in the dark. The less people know about you, the better."

Hiruzen chuckled and removed his pipe, tapping it to the side to rid the bowl end of the excess ash sitting at the bottom. "Maybe you're right, Naruto. Maybe shinobi _shouldn't_ have their profiles highlighted in cabinets for the rest of the world to find out about," the man spoke calmly. The jinchuriki cracked an eye and glanced over at the old Hokage. "I'm not going to get too into the black tape material. However, in spite of what you may think, it is important for village leaders to keep tabs on all their civilians and visitors, including the shinobi who work under them. After all, if a shinobi from our village was to go rogue on us, and by extension of their abilities, characteristics and aims, may also pose a threat to any of our neighbors, then where is the nearest place one can go to acquire information on the rogue ninja to stop them?"

Naruto stared for a moment and gave this new piece of data a moment of consideration. It then clicked in his head and he looked back at the man speaking with him.

"The village the rogue ninja came from?"

"Exactly," the Third exclaimed, popping his pipe back into his mouth. "Food for thought. In the unlikely event that it should transpire, I wouldn't want you going rogue on us, Naruto. You stick out too much as a target."

"Haha…" Naruto murmured and stood up. "Can I go home now?"

"Certainly. You're dismissed," the elder waved, turning back to his paperwork.

Naruto strolled out of the office with his hands in his pockets; in the exact same appearance from his recently taken profile photo. Jacket unzipped, headband around his neck and goggles on his head, he looked almost a couple years older. The only downside to this aspect though was that he smelled of sweaty socks that have been two weeks out in the sun.

This problem may make some other people uncomfortable around him, but to him it was a good, funky man's smell. Hands behind his head, he felt the invisible lines waft off of him, polluting the place with his presence.

He then scrunched his nose in displeasure.

Okay, now that he got a whiff of himself, it was quite honestly unpleasant.

Reminding himself to take a shower when he got back home, Naruto then tuned himself into the events that had led him up to this very moment, consulting his library of memories. His confrontation with Mizuki, his discovery of his exceedingly rare ability to dispel ninja techniques, his first time training using jutsu, his tree climbing training manipulating chakra at his feet, and the fact that he could now jump higher than any building in Konoha by a mile, made him think that he probably should have done something more awesome for his photograph.

Accomplishments like his shouldn't be undersold. They had to be thrown out there for the public to marvel at the man who came about achieving said grand feats.

He enjoyed receiving smiles from the old man instead of scowls, but no matter which way he swung it, he still wanted to do something flashier.

"Oh well," Naruto murmured, putting his hands behind his head. "At least I still look good…"

While he was walking down the corridor with his head held high and eyes pasted to the ceiling, he unexpectedly walked into something small and fast moving.

With a brief exchange of 'oofs' from both respective parties, Naruto looked down at the person he ran into apologetically. "Oh, excuse me. I didn't see you th-"

The next thing the Genin found himself looking at was a little kid rolling around on the ground at his feet, rubbing his face and groaning. The jinchuriki quirked an eyebrow curiously at the boy's continued mumbling and complaining about 'stupid walls', before the youngster eventually made sense of his ramblings, and turned his head towards the obstacle standing in his path.

"W-Wha… who are you?" the adolescent groaned, staring up at the much taller boy in bewilderment.

Naruto, hands still behind his head, blinked. _"Who the heck is this kid?" _He then became aware of a certain set of equipment lying close to where he was lying. _"And why is he running around with shuriken in his hands? A kunai is a much more effective melee weapon-wait a minute!"_

The boy had brown hair with a tuft of hair sticking out of a grey, plastic helmet on his head. He also wore an orange shirt with the Konoha symbol on it, grey shorts, and a long blue scarf he adorned in a cape like manner. He didn't look all too familiar, but from the accessories he was carrying with him, Naruto immediately knew that he was out to cause trouble.

"_Not on my turf,"_ Naruto huffed and glared at the kid, hands still behind his head. "You shouldn't be running around with _those_ in your hands, it's dangerous. That's why ninja carry them in pouches; to prevent sticking other people by accident."

"You!" the boy glared and pointed a finger accusingly. "YOU KNOCKED ME OVER!"

"You blindly ran into me and knocked yourself over, you moron," Naruto grumbled and went about picking up the shuriken he had been running around with. He managed to collect them all before the hotheaded youngster tried to make a grab for them.

"HEY! Those are mine! Give them back!" the child shouted, at the same time trying to get a hold of the orange thief, who just stepped out of reach. "I need those to defeat my grandpa for the right of Hokage!"

Naruto smirked and held the weapons up on his index finger as if the shuriken were rings, and spun them. "Oh these? Heh, good luck with that," the blonde chuckled and pocketed them. Turning heel, he then casually began making his way towards the stairs.

"Don't turn your back on me! Do you know who I am?" the adolescent leapt to his feet and glared daggers at the boy walking away with his hands, and his confiscated weapons, in his pocket. "I'm the grandson of the Hokage! Apologize!"

"Like I give a squat," Naruto muttered, his foot hitting the first step of the stair well.

The scruffy minor growled angrily and reached into his pocket. Fumbling around for a second or so he then pulled out a kunai, but as a result of drawing it so quickly, it clicked against the button of his shorts.

Naruto stopped in his tracks, his right ear twitching. The increased muscle control from his body strengthening training clued him on to incoming danger.

A split second after bringing the knife up in preparation to take on the insubordinate, orange wearing teenager, the younger boy was unable to react in time when the blonde haired brute in question spun around and threw something back at him.

The kunai the jinchuriki threw, bulls-eyed the ring of the throwing knife the younger academy student was holding, and ripped it right out of his grip, flying passed him before effectively impaling the wall of the hallway several meters behind him.

The scarf wearing adolescent blinked in shock, frozen on the spot when his eyes met the glare from the pissed off target he was intending to throw his knife at.

Naruto's brow furrowed. "Rule number one for Konoha shinobi; never attack a fellow comrade." Turning back around, the blonde continued down the stairwell and out of sight.

The minor shook himself back into life after several minutes of silence, and lowered his extended arm. He rubbed his bruised palm, which had been scraped when his weapon was slugged out of his hand.

"Who was that guy?"

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhere in Konohagakure…<strong>

"_The Clobbering one… nah… hmm…" _Naruto massaged his chin with his right hand and looked about absentmindedly, seeing if he could copyright any of the names from the surrounding stores. However, they were all food markets, so there were only names like 'Bob's Fish Mart', 'Haru's Fruit Corner' and 'Beef Riku's Stand'… all that junk. No way will those titles help him in coming up with an awesome name for his technique.

"_Curse of the Divine One?"_ Naruto cried out in annoyance and pulled on his hair. _"STOP COMING UP WITH STUPID NAMES!"_

He then grinned and snapped his fingers. "I got it! I know what to call my right hand!" The jinchuriki spun around and held his fist up high in a dramatic pose. He imagined an unearthly spotlight surrounding him, and with a wide grin that flashed in the sun, punched his enclosed hand towards the sky. "_The_ _World's Awesome Jutsu Disintegrator_!"

Silence fell on the crowded street, with shop owners and families stopping to stare at him. There was a moment of pause as a tumbleweed quite literally rolled by on a gust of wind that came out of nowhere, causing Naruto to sweat drop and everyone else to move a safe distance away from him, who was obviously descending into a state of madness. Who wouldn't think so at such a public display?

Frowning, Naruto then glanced down, sensing someone in front of him.

Much to his surprise, he saw the same boy he had run into back in the Hokage mansion looking up at him with a curious expression on his face. Exchanging blinks, the jinchuriki lowered his arm and faced the minor properly, at the same time slipping his hands into his pockets in an effort to regain what little seriousness in his appearance he could convey after his outburst.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked.

The child tilted his head up at him. "It's a little long, don't you think?"

"What's long?"

"The name: _The_ _World's Awesome Jutsu Disintegrator_. That's a real mouthful," the boy raised an eyebrow at the whisker-marked teenager. "When it comes to naming ninja techniques, you really stink at it, yah know."

A tick mark formed on Naruto's forehead and with an infuriated huff, turned away from the insolent kid talking smack about his jutsu name. The blonde thought that the name he came up with was a smashing good one, way cooler than any of the lousy jutsu he had read about. _Jutsu Disintegrator _was an epic title for a technique only _he_ could use.

"Whatever, like I care about the nonsense of a child," the newly appointed Genin mumbled and started walking away again. "What do you know…?" He was then stopped in his tracks when he felt a tug on the back of his jacket, forcing him to glance behind him at the source of the problem. When he did, he saw the child he had encountered twice today glaring up at him with a defiant expression on his face. This sort of put the blonde in a mood if he wasn't in one already. "You're really starting to bug me. Don't you have something better to do?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"What?" Naruto grumbled.

"Why didn't you apologize to me?" He let the jacket go as the one he was speaking to turned to face him. Both of them exchanged harsh looks with one another, as if their feud of a discussion was going to turn into a duel right in the middle of the crowded street. "I told you I was the Hokage's grandson, but unlike everybody else who says 'they're sorry' or tell me to 'be more careful', as I am the 'Honorable Grandson'… why didn't you say something like that? You're the first person in this village to disrespect me."

"Do you want the short version or the long version?" Naruto asked, hands in his pockets. He sighed when he saw the minor simply stare up at him, waiting patiently for whatever answer came his way. Shaking his head, the blonde decided to respond if it meant getting rid of his newly acquired carry on. "Titles don't mean anything to me. They have no real value. If you want to put value to your name, you have to earn it. I respect the Hokage because he _has_ earned it, what with everything he's done for his village. In the grand scheme of things, just because you're his grandson, doesn't make you any more of a ninja… or a person of great significance… well… you get the picture."

The boy stared in silence for several seconds, considering what he was told by the older boy. At first glance, it looked as if he was struggling to understand what he was told, or that maybe he was a little bit pissed off at how Naruto chose to put it. The jinchuriki began to think that maybe he had gone a little bit too far lecturing the kid the way he did, and his expression softened somewhat.

After due consideration though, the youngster glaring at him puffed his cheeks and pointed at him.

"I want you to train me, boss!"

"Huh?"

"The way you knocked the knife out of my hand and left it hanging on the wall, it was awesome!" the boy grinned, making it obvious by his current stance that he meant every word, and was firmly set on the idea of making Naruto his new teacher. "Please, show me how to be an awesome ninja! Jutsu, techniques, tricks… you can teach me anything!"

Naruto gave the boy a bemused stare. For the briefest of moments, the jinchuriki was genuinely enthralled that he had managed to wow somebody with his defensive stunt. However, the words that followed soon after the comments sort of brought the feeling down hill from there, with the jinchuriki rubbing the back of his head.

Sighing, Naruto then decided to take it a little bit easier on the kid, since he seemed to be having some trouble understanding the workings of the real world and how rough it could be out there. To put it lightly, so did Naruto, but he wasn't going to admit it openly just yet.

"Listen kid… uhh… w-what's your name?"

"The name's Konohamaru!" the boy grinned. "Remember that!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Naruto breathed out, composing himself. "To be honest with you, I only just started using jutsu for the first time in my life nearly a week ago, so there really isn't anything I can do to help you along in that department."

At seeing the boy's crestfallen expression from hearing what he had to say, the Genin then decided to change tactics, moving up from being an ass to a sympathetic ass. He didn't really want to leave the youngster with _that_ answer, not just after meeting him, since he probably had high hopes for an opportunity to learn something interesting. It dawned on Naruto that maybe he was being a bit unfair on him.

After all, a lot of other people had taken time out of their lives to teach him stuff, so what harm was there teaching the kid something useful in exchange for his time. Consider it equivalent exchange.

Rethinking his decision, Naruto _did_ have a handful of stuff in his arsenal Konohamaru could use, but Naruto wasn't entirely sure that it would be enough. The problem with _him_ teaching was that he could only use jutsu one handed.

Not to mention his theory was a little bit messed up; only he could understand it. He needed somebody else to help him explain the concepts.

"Alright, Konohamaru, I'll teach you something… something _basic_. Who knows, maybe you can improve it in your own way," Naruto replied. A smile brimmed on the boy's face, and with an excited laugh, he waited eagerly for the name of the technique he was going to be taught. However, he only received a smile from the taller boy, who then straightened up and began looking around the area for something. "But first, I need somebody who can help me translate. Let's see…"

He looked around the stores for anybody familiar in a Chunin vest or wearing a Konoha headband. Kosuke, Iruka, Izumo… anybody he could put a name to face. However, the only shinobi of the village he could find was sitting on the benches outside of the dango stand, gorging on boxes of dumplings with a happy, carefree look on her face.

Naruto was immediately taken in by the gorgeous kunoichi and thoroughly looked the woman over.

She appeared to be around her mid-twenties, with purple hair tied back into a ponytail, and wearing a trench coat over a figure-hugging pair of shorts and fishnet top. She also wore shin guards to match her sandals, which seemed pretty cool.

Based on first visual impressions she definitely looked like a pro, and certainly friendly enough approach and ask for assistance. Naruto shrugged.

What harm could there be?

"This looks promising." Dragging Konohamaru along behind, he walk over to her…

* * *

><p><strong>An hour later…<strong>

Naruto immediately regretted choosing the prettiest lady shinobi he could find to help him who was, in spite of all appearances a Jonin and a dangerous one at that. This all became perfectly clear over the next fifty minutes, after being dragged halfway across the village himself to the nearest training zone and being thrown right into a test.

Well, to be blunt, it wasn't really a test. It was a 'run and try not to get eaten' session.

The boy cried out in terror as he dived from the uppermost branch of the oak tree he was perched on, avoiding yet another lunge from the giant, green tree python pursuing him through the maze of tree arms and around the trunks of the forest surrounding _Training Field 3_. As he ducked, leapt and dodged, he could hear the woman he had enlisted to help teach Konohamaru something useful, chuckling and making comments on the sidelines while the Third's Honorable Grandson sat flabbergasted on the grass.

"Don't leave yourself open for anything, brat. That's the first step to getting yourself blindsided and killed," Anko laughed, pulling out another stick of dango from the pack she had bought before departing, and downed the dumpling at the end with a satisfied grin. "Stay on your toes."

"I'M TRYING!" Naruto shouted, leaping back when the giant green python lunged from above, getting a mouthful of dirt instead of flesh when it hit the ground. Hissing loudly, it glared up at its nimble target and reared back for another strike. "GOD DAMMIT! STOP CHASING ME!"

"Elise won't stop unless I tell her to," the woman grinned, and cuffed some of her used up dango sticks between her fingers. "Heads up!" She tossed them at the boy like senbon, who somersaulted away just in time to avoid getting impaled.

The sticks ended up hitting a tree trunk instead.

"Who throws skewers? NOBODY!" Naruto cried out and leapt towards the canopy when the boa constrictor came around from behind him and lunged again. For a big snake, it was shockingly quick and was highly aggressive. Not to mention the color of its scales against the treetops above and around him made it incredibly difficult to track when it got moving. This meant the jinchuriki had to rely on all of his senses in order to stay alive.

Elise the Boa gave hot pursuit once more, charging skywards towards the blonde hanging from one of the higher branches. The jinchuriki gritted his teeth and leapt out of the way, up onto a new set of brushwood and sliding down their lengths, using his chakra to keep him planted. He expertly slid the entire length of the tree down to the base of its trunk, where he landed low on all fours and glared up. The snake managed to hook itself around after its miss and continued after its swift prey, following the orange boy around the tree he had negotiated and onwards when he continued to evade.

Eventually, after a few more laps around the area, Naruto skidded to a stop and spun around.

Folding his arms where he squatted on the ground, he smirked proudly and watched Elise continue her charge at him through the air.

Expecting to finally snag its elusive target, the boa opened its mouth wide and, when in reach, bit down. However, the snake's attack was stopped abruptly in its tracks by an unknown force, its jaws snapping away viciously at the youngster sitting just a few millimeters in front of it. Unfortunately for the serpent, thanks to Naruto's quick thinking and stylish acrobatics throughout the canopy around them, Elise's elongated body became entangled in the vines and branches.

This meant that no matter what she did, she couldn't get at the blonde haired troublemaker grinning at her. She hissed angrily.

"Haha! What's the matter?" Naruto danced in front of the boa who was still trying to clamp its jaws around his neck. "Yo! Giving up already? Come on, I'm standing right here!"

Konohamaru giggled at the boy's antics, whereas Anko fell into a fit of full blown laughter. The purple haired kunoichi unfolded her arms and ran her hand through her hair, calming herself down a little so that she could concentrate better on the show in front of her. After watching the young jinchuriki's unique performance, he demonstrated appropriate style, form and had quite a bit of spunk in him. He reminded her quite a bit of herself.

She liked that in a man.

Too bad there weren't any of appropriate age out there anymore that showed the same enthusiasm.

"Good one, brat," Anko chuckled, snapping her fingers. The boa still making grabs for Naruto, despite it being tangled up, disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving its previous target smirking at thin air. After seeing his opponent depart, the jinchuriki then turned back towards the kunoichi and rose to his feet. "You're like a little monkey; very agile, nimble, and you can run like hell when the situation calls for it."

Naruto grinned and gave her the thumbs up. However, when he reconsidered her words in his head he gave her a deadpanned look and frowned a moment later. "That was either a very nice compliment or an incredibly mean putdown."

"It was the former, genius," Anko smirked, then turned her attention to the boy sitting on the grass right next to her. "So kid… did you learn anything useful from that demonstration?"

Konohamaru looked up at the tall woman with a curious expression, during which time deconstructing the events that had occurred from the past hour.

While Naruto marched on over to rejoin them, the Hokage's grandson managed to composite a reply that he deemed was suitable.

"All I saw was that you need to be fast to be a shinobi, and Boss was incredibly fast! There's no way I will ever be able to move like that."

"Hmm…" Anko rubbed her head in thought, quirking an eyebrow to his statement. She then smiled and nodded affirmatively. "Yes, true… you need to be pretty quick in order to avoid an opponent's attacks and stay in the game. It takes years of practice to hone your skills to that degree. However that wasn't the point." The woman strolled confidently over to Naruto and stood beside him with a grin on her face as she rested her hand on his head, earning a scowl from the exhausted Genin. "Shinobi have to think fast while in combat and quickly come up with a way to defeat their opponent. Find out there weaknesses and exploit them. That's what blondie here demonstrated…"

"Uhh… okay," Konohamaru replied and crossed his arms and legs tightly. He gave the pair a very disappointed expression, more along the lines of annoyance and disapproval than one that was let down. "But it's still not a ninja technique. Show me something I can practice _now_."

"Oh… so you want to practice _**now**_?" Anko grinned and rolled back her right sleeve. This startled both Naruto and the younger boy; both of them leaping back when they sensed a familiar aura surrounding the kunoichi. "Selfish little punk, I'll give yah something to prac-"

"Wait a second, Anko-san," Naruto hurriedly butted in, leaping in front of the woman to stop her from taking her frustration out on the now nervous looking academy student. Exchanging glances with both parties, the blonde quickly formulated a compromise between them so that no unnecessary bloodshed occurred. After all, he knew that young Konohamaru was far from ready of being able to tackle a C-Rank level summon without suffering a lot of damage. "Why don't I show him the _Henge no Jutsu_ and you can explain the concept to him for me."

Anko looked at the jinchuriki for a moment and then back up at the trembling kipper. As much as she wanted to torment the boy some more for his input, she decided to listen to more reason and lowered her arm. Slipping both hands into her pockets, the kunoichi then gave the blonde a more patient and focused gaze before inquiring on his proposal.

"You seem pretty confident about it. Why don't you just explain it to him?"

"Well… yah see," Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm… sort of new to the whole jutsu thing, since I can only use techniques one handed?"

"Really?" Anko raised an eyebrow and stepped back. Looking him over several times in disbelief, she tilted her head. "Show me."

"Alrighty?" Naruto clapped his hands together, rubbing them. Now that the fun and games were over with, well… for the purple haired psycho anyway, it was all torment and exhaustion for him, the jinchuriki rounded on the academy student. Konohamaru calmed down enough to refocus his attention on the jinchuriki he referred to as boss, and gave him as much attention as he could spare, while also glancing nervously at the ever present Jonin standing behind him.

"Okay Konohamaru, I'm going to show you a technique called the _H_e_nge no Jutsu_," Naruto brought his left hand in front of him and formed half a ram seal. Chakra began gathering around him, while he prepared to shape-change his overall appearance in conjunction with the technique. "You don't learn this technique till around your second year at the academy, so watch closely now."

Konohamaru did as he was told and watched as blue wafts of chakra began circling the blonde. Anko also looked on curiously, surprised that he was actually able to manifest chakra with a single hand seal to this point in the process. Since the only able shinobi she had seen to be able to gather chakra with only a one-handed hand seal were Jonin and the Hokage, she was already impressed.

This doubled when a white puff of smoke enveloped the jinchuriki, before clearing up to reveal Naruto standing in the same spot, transformed into Anko herself.

The boy… err… 'girl' smirked when she opened her eyes and the transformed Naruto gazed down at Konohamaru from his new height. The Hokage's grandson clambered to his feet to marvel at the ability displayed before him a little more closely, with the jinchuriki throwing his arms out to better show off the results.

"See," Naruto-Anko replied, grinning. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"How did you do that?" Konohamaru exclaimed, leaping from left to right in his admiring gaze of the form his temporary trainer had taken. Even though it was of the most terrifying woman he had ever met, the academy student was still overwhelmed at the properties of the technique. "I-I mean… you were _you_ a moment ago… and then…POOF!" The boy threw his arms into the air. "You're… you're… HER!" He then pointed at Anko, who was also admiring the craftsmanship from a distance.

Naruto-Anko chuckled and glanced back at the Jonin behind him. "Not as perfect as I had hoped, since I only had a few seconds to memorize the model. However…" The boy pocketed his hands and turned to face the woman completely, while Konohamaru continued pocking and inspecting the transformation. "Close enough…"

"I still don't see how you can't use two hands to perform this technique, it's so simple," Anko frowned and folded her arms, stepping back in her observations. "Nevertheless… you've made your point, and a good looking one at that." The kunoichi smiled and stepped forward to look closer at her doppelgangers face. Spotting a small blemish on the reflections cheek she checked hers with her finger over the affected area to make sure it wasn't an irregularity. "Hmm… need to get some moisturizer…"

"Anko…" the Henged Naruto frowned, pulling off a rather accurate, peeved off expression of the kunoichi. "Could we move on?"

"Hmm… oh-oh… right!" Anko straightened up and cleared her throat, before looking down at the boy still prodding at the look-a-like's trench coat. After coughing to get the child's attention, the woman spoke. "Anyway, gaki; the _Henge no Jutsu_ is a technique that allows a person to transform themselves or an object, into another person, animal or item. It's a basic move that most shinobi know how to perform and is incredibly important in a ninja's arsenal of jutsu. Start by forming the three hand seals, dog-boar-ram," the kunoichi explained, while demonstrating the motions with her hands so as to illustrate the technique steps properly. While Naruto only needed to use one out of practice, she had to use three. "You should know these ones already. At the same time as you form each seal, you must focus your chakra and output it during the shaping process, ensuring that you hold the emission state of your chakra in order to maintain the transformation. As long as you're focused, it won't dissipate. The end result is what really counts."

After listening to Anko and looking several times over at her doppelganger, who was picking 'her' ear during each glance out of boredom, Konohamaru nodded in understanding and leapt back. The two mentors also moved away to give him some breathing space, as he assumed the position and began weaving hand seals.

"_Henge no Jutsu!"_

The two onlookers received the satisfying sight of a puff of white smoke enveloping the boy, followed by a small gust of wind that cleared it away. Both Naruto and Anko expected to see a whole new person standing in the youngster's place, hoping that he had managed to get it on the first try. However, what they had hoped did not come to pass and instead of a bombshell they got a dud. Both shinobi sweat-dropped in unison when they saw what they first thought to be a younger version of the same kunoichi both boys were using as their template, but turned out to be a rather rotund version of her and a very unpleasant looking one.

The pose the God-awful creation made didn't help either.

"That's… very… uhh," Naruto-Anko replied, before reverting back to his normal self. The kunoichi copy exploded into a puff of white smoke, from which the jinchuriki stepped out of waving the cloud away with a disgruntled expression. "Alright, I'll be honest. It's awful."

The pug-ugly Anko frowned and dispersed by way of smoke as well, revealing an angry looking boy glaring up at his audience members. Arms folded, the scarf wearing adolescent frowned at the bewildered shinobi.

"Hey, it's my first time using the technique," Konohamaru growled back, before kicking at the dirt at his feet and shoving his hands into his pocket. He turned away to sulk, while the two ninja simply stood back and waited for him to calm down.

Huffing away his frustration, the Third's grandson returned his gaze to the pair a few seconds later and albeit a slight crack in his confidence, spoke up. "Where did I go wrong?"

"It wasn't the process you got wrong; it was the conception," the real Anko replied, pointing down at the boy with a half-smile. "You're thinking of both me and handsome over here at the same time." The woman said this while ruffling Naruto's hair who grumbled at being repeatedly treated that way. He wasn't a display item. "Well… not just us two, but a lot of other things. Try clearing your head first and picturing _only_ the subject. Nothing else."

"Remember," Naruto spoke up, shrugging his way out of the woman's firm grip. The blonde turned towards the kunoichi they were replicating and gestured towards her extremely trim figure. At the same time, he kept his eyes set on Konohamaru, who was following his gestures closely. "Think young, feminine, curvaceous, big bust, smooth… everything that makes this kunoichi hot! Memory and concentration is the key."

Anko smiled at the young male's description of her and performed a mock wave of being flattered. Being who she was, she enjoyed compliments but didn't outwardly show it that often. She was just weird that way.

"You pervert," the woman thumped him in the shoulder, nearly knocking him over at her effortless tap. "What's your inspiration?"

Rubbing his sore muscles, Naruto gave the woman a suspicious glance before turning his head away defiantly. "Trademark secret."

Sniffing and wiping the ridge beneath his nose at the same time with a flick of the back of his finger, the boy stepped away further into the clearing and cracked his neck from side to side.

Turning towards Konohamaru, who was still listening intently to the information coming his way, the jinchuriki smirked and stretched. "Capturing your opponent's image is important. In order to get it right, you must have their whole figure pasted in your head. In some circumstances you will only have a brief window of opportunity to get a good view of your target, so don't miss anything." He laced his fingers together and stretched his hands outwards in an extension motion, his tendons in the knuckles popping. "You can also improvise with the technique to stun your enemies. Allow the _**master**_ to demonstrate!"

"Master?" Anko scoffed. "O-ho. This ought to be good."

Naruto grinned and formed a single-handed hand seal, weaving through the signs in a practical demonstration of the ability. With the image in his mind set and ready, he molded the chakra and unleashed it in a single burst, an explosion of white smoke enveloping him. Anko and Konohamaru watched on with interest to see what the eccentric blonde would come up with, with one of them looking on for an educational benefit whereas the other was simply intrigued in what the boy's imagination would result.

As per reputation as the most unpredictable boy in the village, Naruto's thoughts yielded a spectacular result.

Smooth, pale skin toasted lightly in the sun's rays, with delicious curves accentuated by the light of the mid-day sun. A perfect breast-to-ass ratio matching that of the original, with a firm, well-rounded backside and a reasonably sized bosom that suited the other, the newly transformed Naruto emerged in the form of Anko Mitarashi herself, but with a twist. A glowing face, full of life, with purple hair still done up into a ponytail, it seemed like a normal transformation in most of the subject's aspects. However, the reason the minutest of details were so emphasized in the areas that were exposed, was that _everything_was exposed. The boy had stunned all onlookers with a transformation into a fully nude Anko, in all her pride and glory.

Shocked expressions turned into gawking ones, with blood immediately gushing out of Konohamaru's nose at the overloading of information, throwing him back at the force of the fountain.

Naruto-Anko giggled and winked in a characteristic way befitting his template and struck a pose as the smoke cleared, allowing an even better view of the purple haired kunoichi.

"So… whatcha think?"

Konohamaru however, was unable to comment, as he was lying unconscious on the floor. At first Naruto considered it to be a success. When he heard a shriek from behind and looked around in his transformed state, he saw some random fall out of a nearby tree, trailing blood through the air. The man looked like a Konoha shinobi, only he wore full standard blue spandex, a bandana and sunglasses.

Shrugging off the no-namer, Naruto turned back to face Anko, to see the woman checking herself out. At first, the blonde thought he was going to get clobbered when the kunoichi swooped in and started inspecting his newly acquired form, but after a minute or so, the jinchuriki felt any fear for his well-being slip away.

Reason being was that Anko grabbed the copy's breast and weighed it in her hand, rubbing her chin in thought.

"Not bad, but the weight is slightly off," the kunoichi sighed and shrugged, stepping away with her hands on her hips. "So men and some women will pass out at the sight of my raging awesomeness, big deal. Why don't you try something practical that will work on everybody else?"

Naruto-Anko blinked. "Oh, everybody else? Let's see," the purple haired doppelganger replied, and cracked her knuckles. Taking in a deep breath the nude kunoichi double, formed a single-handed hand seal and with a grunt, a cloud of white smoke exploded around the user.

The original template sighed, the woman shaking her head as she watched the fumes dissipate onto the winds. "Please… not another _Henge_. Come on, brat, be more creative. What kind of use… would… this…yield…?"

The woman trailed off when she saw the boy reemerge from the cloud in a newly transformed state of peak physical fitness and health.

However, what the jinchuriki transformed into wasn't just a finer, healthier specimen of him, or at least… that's what Anko's first impression was. When the cloud of white smoke cleared completely from the scene, it revealed the spiky haired blonde clad in nothing but air and seasoned into what any kunoichi searching for a suitable male partner to couple with, would consider an _appropriate_ age for just such an arrangement. The best way to describe this new transformation was that Naruto had pretty much aged himself to match Anko's, into a futuristic version of himself in a state that would be considered his prime.

A muscular, yet athletic body suiting that of a martial artist, with definitive muscles accentuated in the sun and an additional tan matching his current one. On top of an increased height where he stood to about half a head above Anko's, the young male also had a more well defined face, the baby fat gone from his cheeks and replaced by sleek, manly lines. The whiskers were the same and so was the color in his eyes. The main difference in this area was that he had gone from simple cute to absolutely dashing in the blink of an eye.

Taking a moment to look him over Anko had to admit, on the spot and in a state of utter shock, that he was down-right, drop-dead gorgeous. There was no arguing it.

The kunoichi gulped as she drank him in from head to toe, paying particular interest in the well refined pelvic region.

The adult Naruto grinned.

"Yo… what's up?" he exclaimed, placing his hands on his hips and framing his… his uhh…

Anko giggled. Not in amusement, but in nervousness. In addition to this, her face lit up into an incredibly bright blush as if she was thrown into an oven and its temperature was set to max, and she quickly broke out into an uncontrollable sweat. Seconds later, her giggling turned into laughter and after a trickle of blood ran down her nose, she keeled over backwards and hit the floor, landing on the grass with a light thud and effectively passing out.

The nude, adult Naruto blinked as he looked down at the woman and then at Konohamaru. At first he was cool with the idea that all of his audience members had been wowed into speechlessness at his display. However, he became quite irked when he saw that both of them were out cold, particularly the one who had been bugging him to teach him shinobi techniques since their run in that morning.

Several seconds of looking over the bodies littering the training field later, the jinchuriki sighed and transformed back into his normal form, waving the smoke from his face and placing his hands on his hips.

"Great… I can tell that this is gonna be a _looong_ day… ugh…"

* * *

><p><strong>That next morning…<strong>

Naruto found himself staring blankly at the blackboard with his head propped up on his hands and an exhausted look on his face. He had gotten to the academy super early that morning to sulk and give himself enough time to properly soak up the experiences from yesterday still fresh in his mind. The whole thing had been one huge hurricane of headaches, which had been thrown out at him in small yet frequent doses.

The afternoon the day before had been hell, what with the profile document detail and submission, the run in with the Hokage's grandson, meeting the deadly kunoichi known as Anko, being chased by a big ass snake, and teaching Konohamaru how to Henge properly. Thankfully there was a momentary pause in the program when both Anko and Konohamaru fainted from over exposure to pure awesomeness, but it had been up to him to wake them up. Of course, he admitted that the whole situation had been partly his fault for demonstrating the new techniques he dubbed _Sexy no Jutsu_ and the self-inspired one _The Naruto Knock Out_, mostly to prove a point, in the first place_. _Still, the events that followed shortly afterwards had been a mix.

After waking Anko up and being clobbered by her for interrupting a _wonderful_ dream, and then Konohamaru kicking him in the shins for waking _him_ up from an equally wonderful dream, the two parties then went their separate ways. The Jonin left the scene, vowing she would eventually get the boy back for his little stunt, despite the ridicules blush on her face and the fantasy grin to match.

The jinchuriki was hoping the effects of his technique weren't permanent.

However, there was a plus side to the _Naruto Knock Out_. He made a special note in his head, to remind himself to use the technique whenever he unintentionally pissed off a girl he knew could punch hard and needed to bail out fast.

It was full proof.

Anyway, after the kunoichi departed, it left Naruto the rest of the day to help the other young troublemaker along with learning his technique, giving him different templates to replicate by transforming into people he knew. The list consisted of such individuals including Shikamaru, Iruka, Ino, Kotetsu, Ayame, Teuchi, and the Third Hokage.

Konohamaru was able to get each transformation down spot on by the end of the day, particularly the self-made elements of the _Sexy no Jutsu_.

The boy was thrilled.

_OOO_

_Flashback…_

"_Yatta!" Konohamaru exclaimed in the nude, female form he had taken, brown hair flowing gracefully on the winds. With that accomplishment set, he then dispelled the technique and returned to his normal height and form, grinning widely. "I did it, boss! I did it!"_

_Naruto smiled and nodded, his arms folded. "Great. You did really well, Konohamaru," the blonde responded, rubbing the back of his head. "You got it down faster than I did… __**way**__ faster. Heh. Keep practicing and maybe you'll come up with some other clever tricks of your own with the Henge no Jutsu. Not just the stun tactic with the Oiroke no Jutsu, but maybe even an intimidating one, or a stealth one…"_

"_Nah! Not __**those**__ boss. The Oiroke no Jutsu is genius!" Konohamaru fist pumped and grinned excitedly up at the spiky haired jinchuriki. "With this, I can finally beat grandpa and win the title of Hokage from him!" Hearing this had Naruto sigh and shake his head, though this went on ignored by the bubbling academy student fawning away over his newly learned skill._

_Well… not necessarily a real skill…_

"_It's full proof! All I have to do is come up with something wilder and more daring…"_

"_Stop! Stop right there," Naruto stated, reaching out and placing his hand on top of the boy to stop him from jumping all over the place. Taking a moment to compose himself the Genin then gave the adolescent a much more serious look. "Listen Konohamaru, you can't master only __**one**__ technique and think that you are unbeatable just because it can be used as a knockout against most opponents, who are perverts in another life. Like everything else, it has its weaknesses. Remember; you can't rely on the one jutsu, and use it over and over again. People are bound to get passed it."_

_The boy's expression of confidence and delight faltered in the face of this new information. "R-Really?"_

"_I'm not saying for you to give up," Naruto replied, removing his hand from the boy's shoulder. "Don't take the transformation technique too lightly. The Henge no Jutsu is just one of __**many**__ techniques you can learn. By applying yourself in small doses to all areas of shinobi conduct you can become an even better shinobi than you are today, and through hard work and practice, you are sure to become even stronger."_

"_But boss, to get to where you are… to where that scary woman is as well… and to where grandpa is," Konohamaru shouted, pointing in the direction Anko had walked off in a few hours ago. "It will take me forever…"_

"_Hey, I went through the very same stuff you're going to be put through at the academy, and here __**I**__ am," Naruto smiled and thumped himself in the chest. "Every ninja in this village you will meet started from the academy, even Hokage-jiji, and have worked hard to get to where they are. I've also worked hard in my free time, and thanks to all of those exercises and lessons, I've become much stronger than when I was weeks ago." He sounded proud at that fact, and he had good reason to be._

_Slipping his hands into his pockets, he ended his statement with an affirmative nod of his head._

_Konohamaru stood flabbergasted, while his temporary mentor smiled down at him._

"_You want to become Hokage one day don't you?" Naruto queried, also earning a nod from the shorter boy. "It's not going to be easy. The title of Hokage is only given to the wisest, most powerful ninja in the village; one who is capable of protecting his loved ones and serving the village as its guardian, and its guide. You have to earn that title through hard work, blood, sweat and tears. Don't think that it will be a walk in the park."_

_Naruto saluted and turned heel. "There are no short cuts."_

_Konohamaru then watched the Genin walk off, waving over his shoulder towards him in his departure. The day was ending, so that meant it was time for all of them to turn in._

_At first, the youngster just stared after Naruto as he strolled away, left to his thoughts and the words handed down to him by his mentor. However, after several moments of thought, he then clenched his fists and rushed forward. Slamming his feet into the ground, the boy took in a deep breath and bellowed out towards the distant jinchuriki._

"_FINE! YOU JUST WAIT, NARUTO!" Konohamaru shouted, with the blonde he was addressing stopping momentarily. "YOU'RE NOT MY BOSS ANYMORE! BECAUSE FROM THIS DAY FORWARD…" A grin spread across the adolescent's face. "WE ARE RIVALS!"_

_For a minute or so, Naruto just stood where he was with his hands in his pockets. A distance of about two hundred yards stretched between them with Konohamaru waiting patiently for an answer._

_Then, when a small gust of wind picked up and carried a cluster of leaves between them, Konohamaru blinked in surprise when Naruto suddenly disappeared from where he was standing, and reappeared __**right**__ in front of him. The scarf wearing child jumped back startled at the older boy's shocking speed and looked up at his glaring eyes. At first he thought he was being scolded, but on second glance the Hokage's grandson saw a smirk cross Naruto's face, moments before the blonde turned again, showing him his cooler side._

"_Tomorrow, I'll be taking my first steps as a real shinobi of Konoha," Naruto exclaimed with a wide grin. "On that day, I will be assigned to a team to go on missions with and stuff, so I won't have much time to hang around with you. But…" The blonde tipped his goggles at the youngster as another cluster of leaves floated by on the breeze. "One day, I will fight with you for the title of Hokage. So train hard… and get stronger…"_

_Konohamaru blinked, awe struck by the sight of the boy under the glow of the setting sun and frames by the foliage blowing on the wind_

"_I'll be looking forward to our match, Konohamaru."_

_With that said, Naruto then disappeared, phasing out at a speed that the younger boy couldn't keep up with. What appeared to be a quick sprint and a giant leap for him turned out to be an almost wipe out effect for Konohamaru._

_It came as quite a surprise. However, the intimidating impression he made had quite an effect with the Hokage's grandson. The moment he had departed and left the boy in the middle of the clearing of Training Field 3 on his own, the Hokage's grandson then unexpectedly developed a hardened expression on his face. It wasn't one of anger, displeasure or annoyance. No. This one was one that reflected inspiration._

_He knew now what he had to do and who he had to become to win over the title of Hokage. Brave, confident, and with a renewed sense of purpose in his life, the boy smirked and saluted. _

"_It's a promise!"_

_OOO_

_End Flashback…_

So the day hadn't been a total loss. Naruto smirked.

Konohamaru wasn't such a bad kid. He had guts. Heh. The adolescent reminded him a lot of himself actually, what with the attitude and the eagerness to devote himself to whatever he _wanted_ to do. He also had ambition, which was something Naruto could very well respect. If he hadn't gotten all high and mighty at the end of that grueling day, the jinchuriki had no idea what could have happened, but he was glad that his words managed to get through to him. Furthermore, the Genin had also planted the concept of hard work into the boy's mind, and it was thanks to that fact that he could actually walk away from that day at ease, confident that the youngster would make the right choices and would do the right things.

Striving to be recognized for all of your good qualities was a good dream. However, to strive for a position of responsibility, leadership and authority, though that was a good dream as well, it was going to be a tough one. It would require a lot of effort and exercise, which Naruto knew the boy would occupy most of his time with.

"_I have a feeling I will be seeing him again some day…" _Naruto looked up, his smile turning into a puzzled look. _"Someday soon I bet… geez."_ The boy tapped his fingers on his desk impatiently, wondering when Iruka-sensei would show up for his pep talk and team allocations.

However, since he had gotten here way earlier then anybody else, and the classroom was about half full at this point, it meant that there was still some time bef-

"DAMMIT!" Naruto shouted and slammed his fist down onto the table, startling some of the students who were already seated quietly around the room "How could Konohamaru say something like that? That baka! _The World's Awesome Jutsu Disintegrator_ is an awesome name!" The blonde huffed at the end of his outburst, the realization of the subject matter in question slowly dawning on him. He then laid his chin to rest on the desk in front of him, feeling practically winded. "Ugh… he's right, it is a mouthful…"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	7. Team 7?

**NARUTO**

**Destiny Breaker**

_Team 7?_

**About twenty minutes later…**

"Good God Naruto, what on earth are you wearing?" Shikamaru choked out, having needed to do a sudden double take on his friend along the stairwell leading up the rows of desks, who was quite frankly, dressed completely out of character.

What needed to be mentioned here and now was that a _lot_ of things had transpired in Naruto's life in the past 24 hours, which had given the jinchuriki adequate time to rethink his overall character _**and**_ his wardrobe.

The numerous survival guides the spiky haired jinchuriki had been catching up on, strictly stated that shinobi on missions outside of their village required them to be dressed in accordance to job specifications. It also made mention that the standard shinobi uniforms of Konohagakure for Chunin and Jonin, consisting of a dark blue combination of shirts, pants, sandals, headband, and the promotional green vests, were highly recommended. However, the book also stated that ninja of any rank were allowed to follow their own custom range of uniform, as long as it was tasteful and that they were able to identify themselves as shinobi of their village, via their forehead protectors.

A shinobi shozoku was an ideal choice of uniform for a ninja, but Naruto thought that it was too old fashioned and bordered more along the lines of an ANBU look. He didn't want something that stuck out in the streets or scared children away. The appeal he was going for was something that would have people address him as who he was, and not drive them away at the same time. Nevertheless, he had set that idea aside for future referencing, not to mention current inspiration when it came to constructing his new outfit.

He had ditched the orange jumpsuit. Even though it did well against the cliff face of the _Hokage Monument_ in broad day light, he realized that it wouldn't serve him as well in the forests, in the dark, where even the slightest illumination would light him up like a Christmas tree.

The boy went easy on himself tearing through his collection since he had tons of stuff piled up in his cupboards that he had been building up over the years. All articles had been neatly arranged, pressed and folded, just how he wanted them.

Using whatever he had on hand and shopping for anything else he was missing, he followed up on both what his interests were telling him and what the books instructed him to do, and assembled the ideal uniform for himself…

Even if it didn't look to be his known taste whatsoever.

Naruto had gone for something versatile, not to mention head turning. He had replaced his orange jacket and pants with a black, figure hugging body suit. The spandex was made up a fine material that provided warmth, comfort, and incredible flexibility, as it lacked any form of accessory that would interfere with his movements. He felt that this was a recommended element, as his style of fighting was close combat and required him to be as fast, loose and as nimble as possible. He had bought several pairs of the stuff since he liked them so much, and though it did accentuate the fine muscle lines he had managed to build up, did look kind of weird to others against a crowd. He had also removed his forehead protector from around his head and tied it around his waist. This covered the black belt he actually wore underneath, which had a matching leather holster around his back with a pair of trench knives slipped into it.

Furthermore, keeping to his old self, he had also managed to apply orange to his new look in the form of leg warmers, arm warmers and a long scarf. Luckily, he had managed to get his hands on an orange scarf that felt great and was perfect for his new occupation. It was ideal for adding warmth, and in addition could be adapted as a mask against smoke and gases. In conjunction with harsh environments he could fasten it into a turban for the hot suns and a breaker against the winds. Multitasking! It was an awesome concept!

The orange leg warmers had shin guards under them, which also supplemented a bit of weight to his form to keep him in practice with his newly acquired strength. There were also kunai sheathed away inside of the bands around the shins, along with other hidden items, as he no longer wore a pouch or a side holster. The same aspect could be applied to his arm warmers, which hid and held a number of devices from shuriken to throwing knives. It was perfect for him to have these weapons close by and on his person for quick draws that could catch opponents off guard. The only thing he really kept from his original outfit was the blue sandals at his feet, which stood out like the orange from his uniform.

The black was excellent for stealth and he didn't stick out of a crowd on first glance.

However, he looked particularly odd up close.

Shikamaru instantly noticed this on his way up to his seat.

"Holy he-I don't even want to know where you thought this up," Shikamaru looked away and held his hand up to his friend's face when he saw him about to respond to his previous outburst. After taking a moment to compose himself the Nara then glanced back around, refocusing attention on his subject albeit a disgruntled face. "Where in the world did you get these from?"

He gestured to the teen's whole person.

"From the local retailers," Naruto grinned and pulled on the fabric against his chest. "I got this whole piece for half price… _waaa-y_ cheaper than my jackets and pants separately. Can you believe that? This is awesome!" The boy then stretched out, flexing his arms and bringing his legs up onto the table. "It's warm, comfortable, I can move freely… heck, and I'd even go so far to say that it is cool."

"Define… _cool_," Shikamaru murmured, weary of the coming answer.

"The appeal. That's all there is to it," Naruto smirked. "It's black with orange, there is no greater combo." Well… so he thought. "Not to mention that without any pouches or holsters, it's easier to hide my stuff…"

"Stuff?"

"You know, my ninja equipment… rations… kunai… shuriken," Naruto bent back a little and showed his friend that he wasn't wearing any of the carrying items he had described, which were standard equipment for a Genin and something that he now considerably lacked. "What if I had a clasp unfastened? The weapons and materials would fall out, wouldn't they? And what if they are stolen when my back is turned? I have to keep them close to me to make sure they _can't_ be taken." The blonde flicked his wrist and a kunai shot out of his arm warmer and into his grip from a hidden gauntlet he had applied to his previous outfit then applied it to this one. He twirled the knife once or twice before sliding it out of sight again.

"What brought this up?" Shikamaru queried who was now genuinely and progressively becoming more interested in the boy's reasoning as he went on with his explanations. The Nara had to admit; the normally troublesome loudmouth had gone over his materials, equipment and other junk pretty well. It was as if Naruto was suddenly taking the idea of being a ninja seriously now, despite his still flamboyant and colorful attitude.

It was a healthy balance.

The jinchuriki smiled with a shrug, before leaning back with his hands behind his head.

"Let's just say… I had a great mid-term break," Naruto chuckled.

This earned a sigh and a headshake from the Nara. "Troublesome…" he murmured, slouching in his ascent.

Knowing that _those_ were all the answers he was going to be receiving from the class clown, he then continued on his way up the stairs to a seat somewhere in the back. He wasn't sure which one but any seat that was available, really, was a good seat. If he couldn't get away from all of the noise he anticipated to be flooding in the direction of the teacher's desk, at least he could take a nap in the drone zone.

While Naruto was quietly leaning back in his seat and having a quick nap from his long afternoon the other day, he was silently joined by another fellow student, who took the seat next to him. Cracking an eye open, Naruto looked over to see Sasuke sitting quietly with his hands laced together, propped up on the desk and his chin rested on the grove of his knuckles. Upon sliding into the chair, the Uchiha proceeded to glare out the window in an incredibly quiet and cool manner.

The curious jinchuriki immediately shrugged off the other boy's silence and lack of interest in the day's proceeding as his normal routine.

'_Why the hell does tall, dark and stupid have to sit next to me?'_ Naruto thought, letting out a sigh before closing both eyes again. He balanced himself on the hind legs of his chair carelessly, deciding to become more engrossed in his own thoughts. _'And why is it that I always find myself sitting next to someone who either doesn't talk or I can't talk to at all?'_

Figuring that Iruka wouldn't be in for introductions till a little later, Naruto chose to go to sleep. His body had been screaming at him over the last couple of weeks to get some rest, as he had been working himself close to death. Even last night he barely got more than three hours in, mostly due to restless over the day following. However, now he had the perfect opportunity to catch some light z's and had an excellent excuse to do so. He had a comfortable seat; perhaps the best one in the house and Sasuke, the guy he hated most in the world, sitting right next to him. And because the Uchiha wasn't in the mood for talking, this left Naruto with nothing else to do.

He set his clock on standby and dozed off.

Sasuke continued to sit quietly where he was, left to his own devices and giving other students the impression that he was brooding. Though the vibes he emitted unnerved most of the guys in the class, it swooned the ladies, with the girls in the back row looking down at him with love hearts in their eyes.

Must have been his good looks? A handsome face could get you anywhere even if you were a total ass.

Shikamaru had also dozed off in the back row moments after he had sat down, with his head on the table and arms folded over his face. His good friend Choji was sitting beside him, munching on a bag of chips and grunting satisfactorily at every morsel that entered his mouth. Other notably distinguished students were also dispersed throughout the room, Shino keeping to his corner, Kiba playing around with Akamaru while chatting with a couple of no-namers, including Ami, and Hinata was seated in the top row, pressing her fingers together and ever so subtly glancing down at Naruto several rows down to her left.

With every delicate glance she took, she continued to wear a sweet, nervous smile on her face and had a light coloring of red on her cheeks.

'_I'm so glad Naruto-kun made it,'_ Hinata giggled. _'I wonder if we'll be on the same team together?'_

Really, everyone had something to occupy themselves with.

After another few minutes during which time the last of the students began to rock in, the chatter within the room increased in volume to a slightly louder rabble. Numerous conversations began to start up amongst the twenty seven post-graduates, all divided into groups, as the tension from earlier morning broke down a little. However, unbeknownst to everybody else a completely different rabble was about to blow in, in the form of a storm.

The students nearest to the doors picked it up first, believing it to be an earthquake of some sorts. The boys and girls looked around in bewilderment when the thundering and tremors grew more violent, before the cause of the shaking unexpectedly stormed in through the door leading from the outside corridor. Growling and clawing their way at the same time through the narrow entrance, Sakura and Ino, perhaps the two most recognized girls in the class for their constant arguments and competitions for Sasuke's affections, barreled in.

"Ha! Heh… I… I win… Ino-pig," Sakura panted, shoving the blonde away from her, while at the same time trying to catch her breath.

"In your dreams, Neander-head!" Ino pushed back, also panting heavily. The two of them then glared at it each other and stood their opponent down giving the ultimate impression that the pair were about to battle it out once again.

However, the brief confrontation ended with both girls eventually staggering the rest of the way into the classroom, almost supporting one another from the exhaustion of their five kilometer sprint here.

Hoping to lift her spirits, Sakura turned in Sasuke's direction and with renewed energy in her system jogged her way up the staircase and stopped at the isle where he was sitting.

Earlier that morning, the raven haired boy predicted that the girl would seek him out first and approach him on sight, which was why he chose _this_ seat in particular.

The 'dobe' was in the way and would probably provide a temporary shield of relief for him, before the pink haired annoyance bowled over.

"Hi, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed, trying to scoot over to the teen, before noticing that her path was blocked.

Glaring down she saw Naruto was sprawled out over the narrow space on his chair. Lying back, feet on table and back against the wall, he formed what could be described as a bridge between two cliffs. However, to Sakura he was just an annoying obstacle and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey! Beat it Dumbo, I want to sit on the other side," Sakura jabbed, tapping her foot impatiently.

The only thing she managed to coax out of the blonde was a loud snore. The jinchuriki's nose twitched before resuming a more peaceful chain of relaxed breathing. He was genuinely sound asleep and nothing short of a trumpet would be able to rouse him.

However, Sakura was unaware of this fact. One, because she was in no way familiar with the 'dead last' to begin with and was more concerned with Sasuke. Secondly, she was completely oblivious to how loud she could actually be, even though she had used her words harshly in the past numerous times before.

Quickly becoming agitated, the girl shoved him in the chest, but was unable to budge him for some reason.

"Oye! Moron! Didn't yah hear me? Wake up!" Sakura growled, her voice growing ever louder.

Some of the students sitting around turned to see what the commotion was all about, with those closest immediately identifying the problem. It was another Sasuke spat, only this time Naruto was caught in the middle and was unaware of what was going on around him. This earned some curious glances from some of the girls and snickers from the guys. Anticipation over what was going to happen next shot up around the classroom in a series of mutters, grins and bets made between students.

It had happened once, it could happen again.

Sasuke was also taking legitimate interest in the developing situation, as Naruto had failed to respond to the girl everyone knew the dobe liked even once. Heck, even when she was poking and jabbing him in the side he would barely register to it. All he did was snore and mumble. It must have been because he was dead tired, he didn't care or his body didn't, or he was just out of it.

Could have been true, who knew?

"DAMMIT, NARUTO! MOVE!" Sakura shouted and kicked his chair out from under him. His seat tumbled down the stairs with a few loud crashes and wound up at the bottom. However, something was off.

The boy didn't follow it.

The pink haired girl stood back a little bit perplexed and more overly shocked when she saw that Naruto's body was still supporting itself in a lying down position, despite the fact he had nothing underneath to hold him up. On top of that, he was still snoring away. Some of the students around him gawked, some of them laughed, while those with key familiarity towards body strength and physical exercise were astounded.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and his mouth fell open slightly. His expression of disbelief was then quickly hidden behind a suspicious glare. "What in the world?"

"How is he doing that?" Ino asked while walking up to stand beside Sakura, who tapped Naruto on the stomach to try and determine what was happening. It may have been a trick and that he was actually being suspended by wires. But after checking below and above the boy where he was stretched out, neither of the girls could find anything.

"That's bizarre… but still _**annoying**_!" Sakura jabbed him with her fingers again on his stomach to wake him up.

Finally feeling the sting, Naruto's eyes opened slowly and blinked away the bright lights. Registering to reality, he sat up for a stretch, only to suddenly feel whatever it was holding him up just disappear right from under him. He fell. Yelling out in surprise and jumpstarting into action, he slammed his hands into the desk behind him and stopped himself.

"WHA? WHAT? What's going on?" Looking about wildly the jinchuriki then slowly shimmied his feet back down to the floor and stood up.

"Man… what the heck was tha…HEY! Where's my chair?" Naruto looked under his desk and then over it, where he saw his seat lying at the foot of the staircase. "Damn. How did it get all the way down there?"

"Whatever. That's your problem," Sakura said; pushing right passed him and nearly knocking him over his desk completely. "Move it, idiot! Hello, Sasuke-kun!" the pink haired girl exclaimed, doing a complete 180 in her mood and pulling up the other chair to sit right next to the raven haired boy.

The Uchiha didn't acknowledge her presence beyond a miserable grunt, with his eyebrow twitching in annoyance when he felt the presence of the kunoichi sit down beside him. Smiling brightly with the cutest expression she could muster to entice the boy, Sakura shuffled closer to him and tried to get the young man to open up to her a little, but aside from just sitting in silence and glaring out the window, he did nothing else.

Clearly he wasn't interested in her at all.

Naruto managed to regain his balance and after straightening his scarf, hopped down the stairs to get back his chair. Ino gave him some room to work and when he arrived at the classroom floor, hands in his pockets and his eyes squinted in their usual peeved off manner, he then looked back up to where he had been sitting.

Seeing that nobody was in the way, the boy sighed and lifted his left foot off of the ground, taking aim.

He slammed his sandal right down on top of one of the chair's four legs, as it was lying on its side, knocking it spinning into the air. Then, with careful precision, he side kicked the spiraling seat over the rows of desks and back to where it belonged three flights up. The furniture item spun over the heads of everyone seated in the first two rows, all eyes in the classroom watching in silence when it arced over the rafters, seconds before hitting the back of the desk Naruto had been lying against and perfectly sliding back into place underneath the table in front.

Successful, the blonde casually strolled back to his seat after its pinpoint landing, and nudged his way in. He resumed normal procedures, leaning on its hind legs and glaring up at the blackboard with a bored expression, whereas everybody else was now staring at him.

Still standing beside his row and having witnessed first hand his rather incredible display, Ino blinked.

"That was pretty cool," she murmured, sounding surprised. Several of the other students around her who had heard nodded in agreement.

Naruto caught on to her mutter and looked up at her with a grin, arms folded.

"Perfect balance and muscle control," the boy exclaimed proudly. He didn't want to show it outwardly too much, but he bloody loved his newfound strength. It felt like he could break pencils with barely any effort at all. "Kosuke-sensei taught me."

"Who the hell is Kosuke-sensei?" Ino raised an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips.

"He's an old hermit living in the forest." The boy said this as if it were the most normal thing in the world, but all it earned him was an odd look from Ino and an even stranger one from Sakura beside him, who was distracted from her fawning over Sasuke by the flying chair.

Even Sasuke was glaring out of inquisitiveness.

It wasn't everyday you heard a fellow classmate talk about some otherworldly adventure that had somehow jettisoned him to a new level of strangeness and talent, all wrapped up into one. Those who continued to yearn for self-improvement were keying in to see if they could learn anything from the dead-last, of all people.

"Right…" Ino nodded, half believing her classmate's summary of his previous experiences. Perhaps he had been ramming his head against objects he had been walking into a little too hard, from what she remembered of his last escapade through the village.

"It's true. Kosuke is a really nice guy," Naruto grinned and pointed at her, then back at his chest, illustrating his next point. "He's a Genin just like you and me."

"So… he taught you to sleep as if you were an ironing board propped up and ready for use?" Ino asked with an amused smile. "Honestly Naruto, how were you able to continue sleeping without even a chair supporting you?"

The boy shrugged, rather puzzled by that news as well. "Honestly, I have no idea. My body is just really rigid right now because I've been training so hard over the past couple of weeks." He added to this by stretching his neck with his hand placed firmly against the back of it, earning a loud creak from his bones. "Not to mention reading."

"Oh, so you really _can_ read? So that wasn't a joke at all," Ino waved a hand and looked away with a sly smirk, eager to take a few more routine, good natured jabs at her fellow blonde classmate. "I just assumed that you couldn't because… you know… being last in the class at everything and all. Not to mention you gave us all the impression that you couldn't read or write legibly for squat."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto frowned and pointed at her challengingly. "Well, we'll see who the dead last is when we start going out and doing missions. I've been cramming day and night for this. I'll hit the top in no time flat!"

"Yeah, I'd like to see that, dead last!" Kiba barked, earning a chorus of laughter from the rest of the class. "Akamaru and I will cream your ass any day."

Naruto wheeled around and pointed in his direction. "Shut up, dog breath! I could make mince meat out of you and your pup right now if I wanted to!" Frowning, the boy stood up and using his chair like a podium with one foot on the seat and the other on the floor, turned to the rest of the students who were all giving him a look.

Not only had he been reading but he had been training like crazy. He was pretty sure he could waste any one of the chumps in his sights, Sasuke included. But in spite of being hyped up and ready for anything, he didn't want to fight his fellow students inside of the confines of a classroom. His home field was out in the open.

But he could still make do with a lecture, since he was _that_ awesome.

"Besides, we're Genin! As of this day, we're all shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato and we should act like it," Naruto grinned, waving the strands of hair out of his face in a sort of heroic pose. "Cooperation and comradeship is important for a shinobi, and as shinobi of this village that means we are friends. So let's all treat each other as such. It's what shinobi do and it's what we should all do!"

Ino smiled at that and so did Sakura, the two closest individuals to him. In fact a lot of the kids around the room, all of whom were on the receiving end of his declaration, nodded in approval with Kiba also smirking back at his gutsy response.

Even though the blonde was loud and talked big, most of his speeches didn't really leave much of an impact on the audience. But unlike every other occasion before, this time they knew he was right.

The sound of clapping drew everyone's attention to the doorway, where they saw Iruka walk in with a clipboard under his arm and a grin on his face.

"Now that's the kind of spirit I want to see out of each and every one of you," the scarred Chunin exclaimed while making his way over to his desk. With one hand in his pocket, he then directed his authoritative glare up towards the students scattered around his homeroom, all of them hurriedly taking their seats the moment his attention was fixed on them. Those who were already seated remained, whereas people like Ino and Ami scurried around and pulled up the nearest chairs they could find, with the former taking one directly behind Sasuke.

"Naruto is right. Starting today, all of you are real shinobi. To be more accurate, you are all Shinobi of Konoha. As such, you are expected to carry out your duties and your assignments to the best of your abilities, not just for you, but for your comrades and for your village," Iruka smirked and tapped his clipboard, running a finger down the list of names he had on hand. "But, even though you are ninja… you are still Genin. The hard journey that lies ahead of you has just begun and believe me when I say this to you all, it won't be getting any easier."

Flipping the board up into a more comfortable grip, he took out a pen and ran through the entire roll to ensure that everybody who had graduated was present. This then left the other category open for duty, which was the team allocations list.

"You will be sent out on missions and you will complete them in teams. The standard shinobi squads are made up of three man cells with a Jonin Captain leading each unit. For you Genin it's the same: three man teams and a Jonin as your sensei and team leader," Iruka looked up at all the familiar faces seeing that every single pair of eyes were locked onto him, with silence hovering over every individual.

The tension in the air was so thick he could feel it in his lungs.

The man cleared his throat. "All shinobi of Konoha have started out from where _you_ are, as academy students… as Genin. You will live and train alongside your teammates, you will help each other get stronger, and you will follow your Jonin sensei's instructions to the latter, and complete your missions as a group." He grinned and directed his full attention to his clipboard. "Now, I'm going to announce the teams. These squads you will be assigned to will be maintained for the duration of your terms as Genin. No exceptions…"

* * *

><p><strong>The Hokage's Office…<strong>

The Third smiled at the crystal ball as he watched Iruka announce the teams name by name. For every name the teacher read out the image in the viewing orb would switch targets and lock onto the next student, giving the old Kage a clear picture of the squads and each of the assigned individuals' reactions.

Also joining him in audience over the proceedings were the Jonin who had signed up to take on the graduating students of the year, with the eight of the nine present in the room staring intently at the orb on their village leader's desk. Each of them was able to get a clear glimpse of the squad members they would be evaluating.

While the readouts continued, several of the Jonin in the room couldn't help but notice an abnormality in the picture.

"Wonder where Kakashi is?" a tall, bearded Jonin with an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth chuckled, looking about the room. "He's missing out on all the fun."

"Forget it, Asuma. He won't be here till around lunch period," a random shinobi from the back exclaimed, causing the others to laugh.

"Typical," the raven haired woman with red eyes standing beside Asuma commented, rolling her eyes. "That man should seriously consider getting a watch." Although, now that she thought about it, she realized that nobody would be able to count on the silver haired masked man on ever getting a watch. Kakashi said so himself, that 'it was too noisy and would attract a lot of unwanted attention', not to mention he preferred to tell the time by calculating the angle of the sun to the shadow on the ground, as per every well-versed shinobi.

Maybe that was why he was so late. He had terrible sense of timing either way.

"Anyway, dad," Asuma began, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth. "Wanna tell me the reason why you changed the team rosters at the last minute? It looked pretty solid to me before you decided to juggle around the candidates some more?"

"I believe that weaknesses can be turned into strengths when exercised in the correct manner," Hiruzen replied, tapping on the orb before glancing up at his son. "Bonds can be made and strengthened between people who are polar opposites of one another. Therefore, I stand by my dismantling of the traditional Ino-Shika-Cho team formation, to further test the strengths of our new Genin by adding diversity to the units."

The orb then fixated on a familiar, spiky haired blonde whom a lot of the Jonin recognized on sight. The jinchuriki's reputation had spread throughout most of the village, with tales of his vicious and untouchable prank master skills and Mizuki's defeat at his hands, being the main subjects tossed between people. Kotetsu and Izumo hadn't stopped bitching and making excuses from that day, in spite of their now frequent trips to the _Training Fields_ to kick themselves back into shape.

However, as soon as the groups of shinobi realized the orb had locked onto Naruto all eyes turned towards the Hokage.

"Kakashi insistently lobbied for Naruto to be placed on _his_ team, but you changed that as well, Hokage-sama," Kurenai said, blinking out of revelation.

The elder nodded, interlocking his fingers. "Believe me, it was difficult placing _this_ one." He emphasized his point by gesturing towards the orb with the mouthpiece of his pipe, the Jonin watching as the boy on screen leaned back on his chair, swaying on its hind legs with his feet up on his desk. "But… it all worked out in the end."

"Wait a second. Team 6 has already gone through… so that means Naruto's in…" a shinobi wearing sunglasses began, counting the students on his fingers.

A lot of the other Jonin were thinking the same thing.

"You placed him on Team 7," Asuma said, his expression faltering a bit at that knowledge. "That's a little bit unfair on the kid, don't you think, dad?"

"You placed him on the squad where the Jonin in charge is the only one who didn't want a team in the first place," Kurenai stated, earning a nod from the elder.

All eyes in the room then glanced to the right, where they saw a woman with short, dark-brown hair, wearing a long-sleeved black top and wearing a low-waist, light purple skirt apron with light brown shorts hidden underneath, standing at the edge of the group. She also had gauze wraps around her shins, brown sandals and a kunai holster on her right thigh, with a large waist pouch on her back with two melee weapons sheathed away. The most definitive features of the Jonin was her hair, her forehead protector around her head, brown eyes and two purple rectangular markings on each side of her face.

She looked back at them casually with a curious expression, before a friendly smile spread across her lips.

"I know. I can't believe it either…"

* * *

><p><strong>Back in the classroom…<strong>

Iruka ticked off the latest team to be called and moved on to the next one on his list. "Team 7 will consist of Shino Aburame, Ino Yamanaka and Naruto Uzumaki," the Chunin announced, looking up with a smile. "Have fun, you three."

"Oooh…" Ino groaned, laying her head on the table and banging it against the surface several times. _"This isn't happening… this isn't happening! Argh!"_ She looked up with her chin rested on her cold, hard desk, animated tears streaming out of her eyes. _"I'm stuck with the dead-last and some guy I haven't even talked to before. Where is he?"_ The platinum blonde looked around her for the boy called Shino, her eyes eventually falling on the brown haired boy in the high collar jacket and wearing sunglasses, sitting in the back row to her right.

The Aburame's bifocals flashed when he looked in her direction and he nodded in acknowledgement to her. He recognized her as his teammate on sight and that was good enough for him for the time being. Unfortunately though, it wasn't good enough for Ino and she groaned out at her misfortune, and once again rammed her head against her desk.

"I stand by my disappointed groan," the girl mumbled, her voice muffled against the wooden surface.

"Cheer up, Ino-chan," Naruto exclaimed, looking up at the platinum blonde above him. The girl glanced down to see the boy smiling happily at her, as if he had no quarrels with their team selections whatsoever. "You may not be on the team you wanted to be on, but it'll be fun! You'll see!"

Ino shared a weak smile with the blonde, but it fell away moments later when she looked over at Sasuke and Sakura sitting beside him. Over the drone of her displeasure she distinctively heard Teams 8 and 10 called out. While Team 8 had Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara and Hinata Hyuuga on it, Team 10 consisted of her beloved Sasuke-kun, a lucky Sakura Haruno and a still smirking Kiba Inuzuka. Groaning even more, the Yamanaka girl hid her face away when she watched her eternal rival begin to fawn ever more over the raven haired Genin, who continued to ignore her despite her forwardness.

"_Lucky bitch… her and her… __**stupid**__ forehead!"_ Animated sweat drops flooded her hair along with a light downcast, which became visible to a lot of the people in the room, particularly the boy next to her. The guy sitting next to the Yamanaka backed away out of worry, not wanting to catch whatever she had.

Naruto blinked as he stared oddly up at the girl and her emotional downpour, before shrugging and turning back around. He had no idea what was wrong with her, but he'd probably find out a little later on when they met up for their first assignment.

"Okay, that's it for the teams," Iruka exclaimed, ticking off the last of the names and slipping his clipboard back under his arm. He smiled up at his class, soon to move out as Genin to serve their village proudly. "You will all be collected by your Jonin senseis assigned to your squads after lunch. That is at 1:30pm exactly from this room." The man then pocketed his hands. "Until then, I suggest you get together with your teams, get to know one another, and again, good luck."

Saluting, Iruka exited the room, leaving the chamber to the students.

A couple of minutes after their academy teacher's departure, the newly assigned graduates also began taking their leave. Filing out of the classroom three at a time, presumably in their groups, it left only a handful of other teens sitting around in their rows. Naruto was one of them.

Eager to meet his teammates face to face, the boy hopped off of his chair and, with a spring in his step, jogged up the isle to where Ino was still lying, her head laid to rest on the table top. There was still a bit of cloud and a chance of rain around her, so Naruto maintained a comfortable distance between himself and her. She looked as though she needed her space.

The spiky haired blonde looked down at her motionless form, contemplating on whether or not to approach her completely to check her condition. He was soon joined by Shino, the Aburame strolling up to him with his hands in his pockets and also gazing down at their other teammate.

"Is there something troubling her?" Shino murmured, his eyes locked onto the back of her head.

"Maybe," Naruto replied with a shrug. "I guess some people are just like that, you know." The boy then jumped when he realized who was speaking with him and he quickly switched targets. "Whoa! You're actually talking to me?"

"Yes… if you could call a few sentences exchanged in the first several seconds between us as a form of socializing," the normally unassuming boy said, looking up at the blonde curiously. Although with his glasses and high collar nobody could genuinely tell what he was actually thinking. "If I recall correctly you and I have shared conversations before in the past? Is this an aberration to your usual daily routine, to engage in trading pleasantries with me, Naruto Uzumaki?"

The jinchuriki blinked before giving the teen a despondent, squint-eyed expression. "You're very strange."

"I could say the same thing about you," Shino nodded to him respectfully. "I look forward to being on this team with you two."

Not knowing whether the boy was being sincere or not, the blonde decided to exchange his supposedly lighthearted expression of enthusiasm with a grin of his own. He rubbed the back of his head before turning to their other troublesome teammate, who has yet to acknowledge their presence. The clouds of envy and unhappiness hovering over Ino disappeared, giving the two Genin the sign that it was then safe to approach her.

However, when Naruto leant in to shake her awake, the girl suddenly bolted upright in her seat, startling the jinchuriki. Breathing in deeply she placed her fingers to her temples and hummed to herself.

After a brief moment of composure, she turned in her seat and faced the two boys beside her.

"So … you are my teammates, huh?" She looked between them, distinguishing the dead-last from the cool, outspoken one with ease. Within seconds of making that assessment she promptly rose to her feet and marched up to them, with both boys leaning back a bit when she got right up to their faces. "Well then, let's not waste time dawdling! Come on!"

Kiba, who was right in the middle of becoming acquainted with his other team members, watched on in peculiar interest as Ino dragged both Naruto and Shino out the door by the backs of their collars. She literally pulled them down the stairs and out into the corridor as if they were baggage, neither of them putting up any form of resistance as they were spirited away.

Akamaru barked noisily, with Kiba petting him on the head.

"I know, boy. There go the weirdoes," the Inuzuka chuckled.

* * *

><p><strong>A little while later…<strong>

**Some ways away…**

Ino had practically insisted that the three of them share lunch outside of the classroom, since the 'forehead' she so eloquently described was taking up too much breathing space for her to relax. And by _practically_, she literally pulled the two teens halfway across the school grounds before arriving at an appropriate place for them to eat and, in a manner of speaking, get to know one another.

Naruto had little say if any on the matter of where they could probably hang out for the first time as a team, whereas Shino, quiet as ever, didn't voice any form of opinion whatsoever. To be quite frank, they were all immensely relieved to be out of the stuffy classroom.

The trio eventually found themselves planted underneath a tree at the side of the footpath, which was laid out around the academy and outside of the _Hokage Mansion_. While Ino slumped down on the ground with a packet of rice balls opened up, Naruto laid on the ground with his hands behind his head, chewing on a reed, and Shino stood beside the tree with his hands in his pockets and simply looking about.

While she ate in annoyed silence, the platinum blonde did a little bit of reconnaissance by way of study of the two Genin she was expected to be working with. She looked up at the young man standing by the tree to her left.

She had no idea who Shino Aburame was, and had even less of a clue as to his clan origins and upbringing. Heck, the very first thought in her mind was whether or not the boy had a social status to begin with, as she had never seen him hanging around with any of the other students. He mustn't have hung around the academy much to begin with and only attended it for the lecture and practical sessions. Nevertheless, on the outside, he seemed to be a competent shinobi. He was quiet, calm and cool, sort of like Sasuke, and he didn't talk much. Furthermore, she was abysmal of his level of intelligence, but he had at least scored pretty high on all physical examinations.

Ino then looked over at Naruto and immediately her opinion of him was set at an exceptionally low standard. The boy had been an absolute wreck for all the time she had known him. Though he attended lessons with several absences, his grades were low and he did horribly in all chakra related exercises. In fact he had come up so short in everything that she was surprised he had even graduated at all. This made her question the schooling system and the quality of shinobi they were letting out of the village's gates. However, as far as she was concerned, though he lacked in basic knowledge he more than made up for in enthusiasm, innovation and physical strength. She had watched him in sparring sessions with some of the other students and despite coming up slightly short in technique behind taijutsu competent students Sasuke and Kiba, he showed a great level of physical strength and energy. In fact, he was the most energetic student out of everyone.

That had to count for something, right?

So to sum it all up, she was stuck with a ninjutsu incompetent and an unknown.

"_I'm on a team of strangers…" _Ino groaned in her head, and looked up towards the canopy of the tree. She imagined herself being on Sasuke's team, the three of which were probably somewhere else enjoying lunch, and how much happier her life could be with them. Unfortunately for her though, life was cruelly biased, and all the luck in the world was seemingly falling on Sakura.

Naruto hadn't brought any food with him, as he had had a big breakfast that morning. The taste of egg and bacon was still fresh on him and with the concept of lunch out of the way, this gave him enough time to think about other things.

He had a big smile on his face as he casually chewed on the reed and tasted the dew, thinking about how awesome it would be to finally get out of the village and get into some of the missions of a real shinobi of Konoha. Fighting other ninja, saving damsels, catching bad guys, it was all part of the plan, but an overly simplified one. He didn't want to get too much into the details yet. However, with his training over the past couple of weeks and all of his studying, he was pretty certain that he had managed to catch up to the others, maybe even have surpassed them. This gave him enough confidence in himself to believe that he could take on any enemy shinobi the world out there could throw at him.

That wasn't all. Like all of the other teams, he would be led and taught by a Jonin-sensei; a strong shinobi on a level several times higher than his own and somebody even stronger than Iruka. He couldn't wait to meet him. Whoever their new sensei was going to be would probably teach them some awesome jutsu, aside from the basic stuff he had picked up from at the academy. He needed something new to fill up his arsenal.

By extension, he wasn't too fussed with his team either. Although he had been hoping to be paired up with Sakura, he was still happy to be on a team regardless. He recognized both Ino and Shino from class, definitely, and though he hadn't spoken with them much in the past, he knew them enough to know that he could get along with them. While Ino was bossy and very much like Sakura, Shino was quiet and very spatially conscious; ultimately making the team he was on a very evenly stacked one. _'A unique team was a good team,'_ which was something Naruto had picked up from his _Shinobi Basics_ article at home.

Shino on the other hand was buzzing with interest of his teammates, though this concept didn't show on the outside. He glanced down at the two of them and considered them, both by their personalities and their physical characteristics.

Other people clearly didn't know Shino well enough to know that he was a keen observer, since he kept to himself quite a bit. This was good if he was going to be a shinobi. But since he was on a team, he figured he could open up a little more. But first things first, he had to start with his teammates. In his eyes, Naruto was a very energetic and odd individual, charismatic in his own way, but not too subtle. He had below average grades which he made up for with attitude towards hands on activities. This was okay in his book, since his bugs were jittering strangely to what they could only describe as a new aura they sensed coming off of the young jinchuriki.

The Aburame also expressed great trust in Ino's abilities. He knew her to be pretty smart and calculative, a trait that made for a good shinobi in practice. Her abilities as a close-quarter shinobi were average and her physical fitness was enough for a Genin. On top of that, she had a shining personality, where in some areas, coincided with Naruto's quite well. Based on this report Shino could safely assume they would make a good team, one with some knots in it that could be worked through.

Every individual shinobi has their flaws, which transits into the team. However, through practice these faults could be covered.

Finishing off her third rice cake, Ino stopped and surveyed her team for a moment, before deciding to speak up. She gestured to the both of them to get their attention.

"Okay… if we're going to be on a team from now one, then we're going to have to get along," the platinum blonde stated, picking up another cake. "More over, we need to beat the living snot out Forehead Girl's team! Understand?"

"What is this obsession with the term 'Forehead Girl'?" Shino asked curiously, raising an eyebrow down at the kunoichi. "I… don't understand this?"

"Duh!" Ino slapped herself in the head and jabbed a finger up at him. "It's to describe that idiot Sakura Haruno! You know, the girl on Team 10… big forehead and all!" She made some wild gestures over her face to accentuate the highly noticeable traits of her rival.

All this earned though was a small shrug from the glasses wearing shinobi, who looked over at Naruto sprawled out on the grass with indifference.

"I don't believe it is necessary to humiliate a person's character based on their appearances," Shino stated, getting a surprised blink from the kunoichi. "Emphasis on such discrepancies can be very hurtful, which can lead to a breakdown in relations, and should not be used to deliberately put down a fellow comrade, as it might upset their competence and performance on important missions." The boy's glasses flashed in the sun.

Ino was rather taken aback by her teammate's reply. This was also responded to by Naruto, who quickly sat up from where he was lying down and smiled up at Shino. He spat out the blade of grass hanging from his mouth so that he could better face the other Genin with some dignity.

"I've just decided right now… I like you, Shino," Naruto grinned widely. Right here, the jinchuriki was being sincere. Sure he had found the teen to be quite odd and not that outgoing as others, but the Aburame had a pretty good grasp of what a good person was in his very own opinion. Hell, just from those words alone Naruto saw that Shino wasn't a person that put down others or insulted them on purpose. He spoke within reason.

Naruto knew this from experience. Being a social outcast, he had come to recognize particular characteristics from observations himself.

Shino was a cool character that tolerated others. That was something good.

"Even though you are a little strange, you're still an okay guy. Heh, every person has their little quirks, but that doesn't make them any more alien from everybody else, right?"

"Right," Shino nodded in agreement. "It's these differences that make our team more complete."

"Geez, what's with all of this wholesome social equality talk all of a sudden?" Ino murmured, holding up her rice cake and picking at it. "It's just a little bit of good natured nicknaming I'm having with Forehe-I mean, with Sakura, if that's what you guys are so worked up about." The girl gritted her teeth and clenched her fist angrily, her limbs trembling. "I mean… I'm sorry for filling up the air with this but… she just _**had**_ to be with Sasuke-kun… the man I am destined to be with! DAMN! This just bites!"

"Pft! As if he is _that_ cool," Naruto grumbled, looking over at the kunoichi sitting beside him. "Look, what you see him as right now is just the book cover. What's beneath that is a completely different story."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Ino frowned at the other boy and placed her hands on her hips. "Sasuke is awesome."

"He may be good to look at on the outside, but inside he is a completely different person," Naruto waved his arms about furiously, before slapping his hand over his chest. "That's what I'm trying to say to you! All he's interested in is himself and his own stuff; nothing else. All those girls follow him around, but he just ignores them. Do you think he would spare any of his time for somebody else? Unless he saw that there was something in it for him, he wouldn't care? You're just wasting your time with him, Ino… trust me."

"You don't know Sasuke-kun as much as I do," Ino exclaimed, putting her hands together and looking up with a dreamy expression, "The best Genin in Konoha, the rising star, and the man for all girls. He is a disciplined gentleman with a heart of stone." Her sigh added to the end of this statement asserted her position that she was not going to give up chasing the guy's shadow. Hell, she wasn't even close to stopping now.

Naruto sweat dropped dejectedly. "Fine… if you think he's worth all your time and energy, go ahead. You'll just wind up hurt." The boy waved a hand in disinterest and folded his arms with a huff. "At least that's one thing I know about you now. You're obsessed over the teme."

"What we should do now is concentrate on the team," Shino stated, completely disregarding the girl daydreaming in the corner and the argument that took place.

Yet just one of the knots that needed to be undone.

Naruto looked up at the teen and smirked. "Yeah, you're right, Shino; the team. Okay! What I think we should do… is uhh… is umm…" he rubbed his head a little bit, scrunching his face up in concentration as he formulated some sort of coop for the three of them to work on. However, with the amount of info he had to go by with the other two there was only one thing he could actually come up with as a compromise to any other activity. "We should… we should just start from scratch! Reintroduce ourselves and start off new! Like… tell each other what our; strengths and what our interests are… basic stuff."

"Agreed," Shino murmured.

"Alright," Ino said, setting down her rice cake and shuffling up closer to the center of the triangle they formed. Shino stood off of the tree so that he could stand beside them and catch wind of everything that was going to be thrown about. "Who should start off then?"

"I will!" Naruto grinned enthusiastically and got more comfortable in the circle. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. My hobbies are training and reading cool ninja stuff, and my main strengths are close-combat, taijutsu and brawling." He thumped his right fist into his left hand. "I'm a _Strong Fist_ style fighter and I'm really well balanced. I've also got incredibly strong legs, with which I can jump higher than the highest tree in this village in a single leap."

"Hmm… okay," Ino smiled, very intrigued by the boy's lively response and what he had added to it. Though she thought some of it may have been hot air he was breathing out, a lot of it seemed genuine. Acknowledging she had picked up on that bit of bio, she then began looking between her two fellow shinobi. "My name is Ino Yamanaka; I'm from the Yamanaka Clan of this village. My hobbies are shopping and looking after flowers and my strength is, if not in combat and setting traps, then it's my clan's trademark technique, the _Shintenshin no Jutsu_. I'm also going to try and learn some medical techniques in the future."

"That's useful," Shino exclaimed, with Naruto nodding enthusiastically on the side.

"Yeah! Yeah. Just in case any of us get injured. It'll be a big help to have a good medical ninja on our team," the blonde grinned. Ino smiled back, feeling that she had made a significant input into the group thus far.

"Well then," the quiet boy standing beside the other two knelt down. Just so that he was eyelevel with them, he began to speak. "My name is Shino Aburame; I'm from the Aburame Clan. My hobbies are studying biology and looking after insects, and my strengths in ninja combat are tactics and a stationary style of fighting utilizing the long range capabilities of my kikaichū."

"Kikaichū?" Naruto queried.

"Parasitic Insects?" Ino blinked. "How?"

"Like all of my other clansmen, my body acts as a nest for the beetle that forms the basis of all our clan's techniques," Shino explained, raising his hand and extending a finger.

Naruto and Ino looked at it curiously for a moment, wondering if he was just pulling their legs or not. They then got a startling surprise when they saw a small mass of beetles suddenly crawl out from underneath his sleeve and the back of his palm. Ino had to suppress a shriek when she saw them emerge and beat their wings.

"They're a breed of beetle that feed off of people's chakra. In exchange for their services, they use our bodies as a home and exchange chakra with the host. A symbiotic relationship is developed in this manner between us and the beetle."

"T-That's kind of creepy," Naruto murmured and crawled over for a closer look. After looking at the insects for a few moments a grin formed on his face. "But still… that is so _cool_!"

"I've heard of your clan and your abilities from daddy, but I never actually believed him. He told me that your clan is one of the most formidable in terms of indirect combat and long range attacks," Ino said, looking over at the boy as he withdrew his hand and the beetles on him hid themselves. He nodded towards the platinum blonde, responding to her statement with his attention. The girl smiled. "So you actually do have insects living inside of your body?"

"Yes."

"So… what can you, like… do with them?" Naruto asked curiously.

Shino directed his gaze at the blonde, expression unchanging. "Stealth, espionage, scouting, tracking and sucking chakra out of a victim," he replied, explaining in brief the capacity at which the bugs granted him in terms of shinobi performance. "My insects function better in combat in swarms, in which I can either drive away or trap a victim in a cloud. By extension of my abilities, I can also communicate with other insects."

"Wow…" Ino nodded approvingly, before beginning to look between her two teammates once again. "So, we all pretty much have our skills that make up our group. Shino; you have long-range and scouting under your belt, Naruto; close-range and physical strength, and I have; traps and mid-range. Shino and I make up for a lot in tactics and… uhh… Naruto…" The kunoichi looked over at the boy with a rather puzzled look on her face. "You said you could jump high? Like… _how_ high, exactly?"

"Like I said; higher than a tree," Naruto grinned.

"I mean, we can _all_ jump high, Naruto. We conditioned our bodies and trained them to utilize our chakra to extend our jumping distance and speed in the academy. Aren't you maybe… _exaggerating_ a little bit?" the girl smiled, wondering if he was still joking or not. She admired the boy's enthusiasm and spirit, but surely he was just being a little bit naïve.

Since he lacked other talents, she could see why he would want to cover it up. There was no way he could…

"No really. I can. Here… I'll show you," Naruto hopped to his feet and jogged all the way to the middle of the footpath they were sitting beside.

Ino and Shino, both of them curious to see what he could actually accomplish, got up and followed after him. Stepping out from under the shade of the trees, the pair stood by and watched as the jinchuriki looked up to see whether there was anything overhead that would interfere with his jump. Making sure there was nothing in the way, he then smiled and turned back towards them.

"During the two week break, I went through a lot of leg extension exercises to help me increase my speed and physical strength. It's also helped me to attain perfect balance," Naruto knelt down and lifted one of his leg warmers, showing the two a metal brace around his ankle, along with the rows of kunai hidden. "These leg weights under my shin guards keep me in a constant state of strenuous movement. They weigh me down so I don't slack off too much and I can maintain the strength in my legs." He then removed the weights, placing them on the concrete.

Standing back up, he held his arms out.

Ino and Shino blinked, looking at each other for the briefest of moments and back again.

"You'd be surprised at what I can do with little effort," Naruto grinned and crouched slightly.

Without so much as a grunt of exertion, he jumped. The blonde rocketed into the air in the form of an orange blur, both Shino and Ino following him with their eyes. At first they expected him to reach only about fifty to a hundred feet, which was the average of most shinobi at full tension. However, their eyes widened considerably when they watched him soar higher and higher, and continue to climb without stopping. Within seconds of his take off, he was but a speck in the sky and the clouds above.

Silence fell, with Ino counting the seconds from Naruto's take off to his inevitable landing. Shino also counted down, with their attention unwavering from the blue yonder and the patches of clouds drifting overhead. Then, about a few seconds later, they saw their teammate come diving back down. At first they were worried he was going to crash and break his legs. But then he surprised them all once again with a perfect landing on his right foot, _on_ his toes. The blonde grinned when he touched down with barely a sound and he gently lowered himself into a normal standing position.

"Well?" Naruto grinned. "Did I jump good or what?"

"T-That…" Ino gulped. "Was amazing!"

"Twenty seconds of ascent and descent… impressive," Shino exclaimed in amazement, though his tone conveyed little sense of surprise in his character. "How are you capable of such a feat?"

"Kosuke-sensei. I'll take you to visit him sometime, you'll like him. He's a great guy." The jinchuriki knelt down and reattached the weights under his leg warmers. After which he then rose to his feet, smiled and looked up towards the sky, retracing his path. Hand over his eyes to shield him from the sun the boy smirked to himself "I reached peregrine height, that's not bad. I should keep working on it though. Maybe I'll touch the clouds one day…"

Ino, shaking off her astonishment, smiled and approached the boy, enthralled by his amazing capability. "W-Well. You sure showed me, Naru-kun," the girl grinned and patted him on the shoulder. Truly, she had been slapped in the face by the jinchuriki, who had demonstrated something that she thought would never have been possible by anyone. The boy was just full of surprises. "Heh. I guess you're not a total loss after all."

"Haha. I'll take that as a compliment," Naruto exclaimed back, the two blondes sharing a grin at the end of the exchange.

They formed a circle in the middle of the path, the trio facing one another with signs of excitement and enthusiasm evident on their faces. With the atmosphere set at the right tonnage, Ino decided to conclude their little meeting and extended a hand of friendship to the center of their triangle.

"If we work together, there's nobody that can stop us," the Yamanaka smirked. "From now on, we're Team 7."

"Team 7," Naruto nodded in agreement and placed his hand on top of hers. It was shortly joined by Shino's, the boy looking between them with his unchanging expression.

"Team 7…"

The three teenagers shared a smile and braced each other tightly, with Ino winking at the pair and the jinchuriki of the group chuckling in his characteristic manner. They relinquished moments later.

Though they had barely come to know one another personally, a pact was still born between them, right then and there. They all knew that as a team the person that they could count on the most was the person standing right next to them. And in spite of their differences and their unique quirks, they intended to see this through to the end.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile…<strong>

**Naruto's apartment…**

"So, this is where young Naruto lives?" the brown haired Jonin that was to take on Team 7 exclaimed out of inquisitiveness, looking about the apartment she was in with great interest. Hands in her pockets, the woman walked around the couch and into the dining room area, utterly bewildered by everything. The table shared the kitchen area and though it would primarily be used for eating, there was still a bunch of stuff lying around that hadn't been put away, indicating that it played more than one role.

Aside from an empty plate and a glass of half drunken orange juice on the table, there was also a stack of various books that had been borrowed from the library. One article in particular caught the woman's eye, which was the _Basics of Explosive Tag Manufacturing, _sitting beside a more advanced copy lying open beside the plate.

Fingers twitching, she picked it up and examined the title and both sides of the cover.

"He has some very strange hobbies," she plopped it back down with a sigh. "You can tell a lot about a person by what they read."

"He's been alone his entire life," the Third Hokage spoke up while stepping into view from the living room, hands behind his back. "Since he was capable of living by himself, he's had no parents or anyone to look after him, to take care of him, or to love him. For the longest he can remember, he's gone on not knowing who he is or where he came from, and has had no one to teach him anything of value. Because of this, he's had to learn everything by himself." The elder watched the woman walk about the kitchen some more and take in the environment, gaining a better understanding of the boy's living conditions. "I placed him on your team because I knew you were one of only a handful of shinobi in this village who can relate to him."

"Hmm," the woman murmured and stopped by the fridge. Being the practical minded person, she opened it up and looked upon shelves packed with cups of ramen and some miscellaneous refrigerated items. Not quite the contents she was expecting, but a very fascinating diet. "He's a little bit misguided… a very… simple minded individual… "

"Naruto isn't very smart," Hiruzen stated. "Having to raise himself on whatever he had is one of the reasons why he's slightly behind most of the other students in his class. But I know you will look after him well. You've dealt with his type before." The old village leader tipped his hat to her and turned his head to gaze out the window. "I gave you a mixed batch that should be able to balance out each other's strengths and weaknesses, so you should do fine."

The kunoichi closed the fridge and turned around, her expression still bearing a small smile. "What if I refuse to pass them?"

"I'm not too concerned about that," the elder smirked. "I _know_ you _will_ pass them. After all, you were taught by the very best shinobi this village has ever had, so you should know what to look for in them."

"Understood…"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note:<strong>_ lol. Naruto, Ino and Shino... right? One of the most unlikely teams I could think of. I wanted to throw Shikamaru or Kiba in there, but I thought this was good. Very much like the traveling trio from Samurai Champloo.

However, my main inspiration for putting them together was from the team that was formed for the Isaribi arc of the series, and I saw that all three of them had something to offer then. However, I changed their sensei... took me a while to come up with who. Guess who it is...

I also threw Kiba with Sasuke and Sakura, since he's pretty much like Naruto and balances them out pretty well with another brawler. Plus Hinata with Shikamaru and Choji, she definitely makes up the close quarter aspect of the team and also contributes as a good tracker.

And for all those who still think Naruto is too strong from the tree climbing training, just wait till the next chapter... (evil laugh)... the true purpose of the exercise was to give him the capability to jump considerable heights. Doesn't mean he's gotten way strong, he's still far behind Lee's league.


	8. Evaluation

**NARUTO**

**Destiny Breaker**

_Evaluation_

**After lunch…**

Naruto, Shino and Ino were among the first of the squads to start rolling back to class. They hit the academy corridors completely engrossed in rather animated discussions over team coordination and alike, with Ino and Naruto tossing questions back and forth between each other, and Shino adding little bits of input wherever he could.

While strolling down the hallways towards their homeroom, they were shortly joined by a few other familiar faces from their graduating age group, and upon arriving back at the classroom, the squads immediately noticed something peculiar.

The newly formed Team 7 stopped short of their route when they spotted a woman standing outside of the classroom door, straightened in a rather formal fashion and appearing to be like an apple in a basket of oranges due to the beaming smile she wore. Those who entered the room through the main entrance were quite weary of the strange woman, who also seemed to slink away from the attention she received from the masses.

She was a very friendly looking individual…

…maybe a little _too_ friendly…

Naruto and his teammates allowed the other group following close behind them to pass, before they restarted their own approach of the room. There wasn't really much need to tread lightly at this point since they figured the stranger was just a tuition officer or a hallway monitor of some sorts, keeping an eye on the proceedings. However, the moment they were within reasonable distance of the individual, they stopped sharply when they saw her turn towards them.

Meeting her eye to eye the three students stood silent in their places, Naruto looking visibly confused, Ino wondering whether or not they did something wrong, and Shino just looking passive as per usual.

What could _they_ have done to earn this direct attention?

Their questions were answered shortly afterwards when the kunoichi pulled herself away from the entrance, bringing her hands around and marching towards them. When she stopped before them she looked at each of them carefully.

"Are you three, Team 7?" she asked.

The students glanced at one another, before nervously trailing their eyes back to the brown haired lady with the purple markings on her cheeks. She leaned over some more, almost like she was peering into their very souls.

Her eyes were so intense.

"Y-Yeah," Ino gulped, speaking meekly on behalf of her team.

Smile returning, the woman straightened up, turned and began walking down the hallway. "Come with me."

They were hesitant at first, but then after weighing the pros and cons they decided to follow her. She was an adult kunoichi asking for them specifically, so concluding from what they did know from Iruka's announcements and who she probably was they assumed that she was the Jonin teacher assigned to their squad. The way she went about conveying this though was very unusual. She looked really pleased for some reason, and the way she approached them and asked them to follow her was beside anything they had expected from a first meeting.

However, unwilling to argue for all sorts of reasons, the three shinobi followed her out of the academy and onto the Shuriken Range, where the older woman led them to the far end where the three target stumps stood. Stopping just short of them, she turned back towards the three Genin and gestured to them.

"Please, sit down…"

Reluctantly, the members of Team 7 did so and spaced themselves out between the tree separate logs. They were grateful that there were bundles of hay positioned in front of each target as cushions for any misdirected kunai, since it provided them with adequate seating arrangements. However, their main concern wasn't academy kids coming to practice on the field. Their focus stood several feet in front of them, hands in her pockets and a care-free, innocent expression fixated on her face. The teens remained quiet and waited patiently for whatever it was the woman had planned for them.

Naruto sat cross-legged on his bundle whereas Ino had her knees pulled up to her chest and was gazing with uncertainty up at the kunoichi. Shino, well, it was really hard to judge a person's expression when he didn't have anything other than a vacant stare, so they could only assume he was comfortable where he sat, his knees propped up and arms draped over them. He seemed pretty resigned to his situation.

For a moment they sat in silence while the kunoichi inspected them, looking them over with that smile that seemed to make them all nervous.

The atmosphere was so tense it felt like the three Genin were being lined up for slaughter.

"S-So…" Ino began nervously, sweat visible on her face. "A-Are you… like… _our_ sensei?"

"Yes," the kunoichi nodded affirmatively, earning a relieved sigh from both Naruto and Ino collectively. The youngsters looked at each other and the incredible feel of liberation from that little piece of information swept over them.

"_Thank God… for a moment there, I thought we were in trouble," _the jinchuriki thought, grinning up at the lady. _"We didn't break any rules… well… not any that I know of, anyway. Could hanging out at school be considered a crime? Hmm…"_ Naruto rubbed his chin in thought.

"Why did you take us away from the classroom like that, sensei?" Ino asked, raising a hand as if she were in a lecture. "A-Aren't we supposed to be introduced to the senseis of the other teams as well… you know… like an induction thing so we know who to look for when we need to?"

"I thought that process was very counter productive. Since you guys already know many of your peers, I felt that there was no real need to wait around to see who everybody's team leaders are. The one thing you have to worry about at _this_ stage is who _your_ sensei is and who your teammates are. Focus on filing out your squad before worrying about the others… take things slowly," the kunoichi stated, closing her eyes and nodding with a cheerful giggle. "You can get to meet the other teachers later if you ever run into them. But for now… since you guys are on a new squad, I want each of us to get to know one another a little better. Tell me about yourselves; one at a time."

"Like… introduce ourselves?" Naruto blinked. _"Again… geez?"_

"Sure, whatever comes to mind," the woman replied with gentle encouragement. "Things you like, things you hate, hobbies, dreams for the future… stuff like that. I haven't met you guys before so… wing it."

"W-Well… why don't you introduce yourself first, sensei?" the jinchuriki spoke up again. "I mean… we don't know anything about _you_, so why don't you say something about yourself so we can get an idea of how this is supposed to work?" The kunoichi blinked before pointing at her chest in a conscious response to his question.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you look like a really suspicious person," Ino nodded in agreement. "We haven't seen you around the school before. It'll be good for us to get to know you a little bit." She also shivered a bit when she began recalling her very excessive use of her smile. _"She is so creepy. Well…"_ the girl looked upon the woman's more relaxed, perplexed expression and could take some solace from the fact that she wasn't smiling with her eyes closed. _"At least she doesn't grin constantly… that would be super creepy."_

The three Genin focused all their attention on her and from the silence that dawned, the elder shinobi overseeing them was placed in the spotlight.

Clearing her throat, the brown haired woman adjusted her stance to something more comfortable and began to speak. "Well, my name is Rin. It's really nice to meet you three. I uhh… I don't really feel like telling you my last name." The members of Team 7 looked up at her in surprise to this, all of them quickly becoming puzzled as to why she didn't want to tell them that little detail about herself. "I don't like big crowds, I hate ginger, I enjoy taking hot baths, reading, and… hmm… oh yeah, and I love drinking milk. I make it a point to drink at least five hundred milliliters a day." The smile that grew even wider on her face was an indication of the amount of enjoyment she actually received from doing either, which the three Genin took as weird. She then moved on. "As for dreams for the future… I guess they're some ways off."

"_Hmph, she's a very strange woman. Milk? Come on… this is a Jonin we're talking about," _Ino thought, while Naruto simply tilted his head curiously at the kunoichi, finding her quite appealing. _"She seriously enjoys drinking milk that much?"_ It was then the platinum blonde made a rather keen observation of their teacher and looked down. The kunoichi's chest was quite prominent despite the slightly baggy shirt she wore, and Ino estimated the suckers to be at least C to D. Must have been the result of consuming so much calcium and whatever over all her years of being a shinobi. This made the Yamanaka quite envious of the woman's splendidly good graces. _"Mmph… I should start drinking more milk…"_

The kunoichi, now known as Rin, gestured towards them with her hands before sliding them into her pockets again. "Okay, now it's your turn. The blonde one…" Naruto and Ino pointed at themselves in confusion, as there were two light haired members on the team and her lack of specification didn't help them out at all. Their team leader giggled at her little fumble and shrugged casually. "Either one of you will do."

"Okay!" Naruto grinned, raising his hand. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like training hard, reading cool stuff and eating ramen. I don't like uncooked vegetables, but I do like them stir fried and diced. My hobbies are training as well, and watering the plants I have at home…" Shino and Ino spared their friend a bewildered glance, having not expected him to tap that onto his list. The rest to follow was trivia though. "Umm… guess I also like to pull pranks once in a while … _BIG_ ones and… my dream for the future is to become Hokage so that I can protect my friends and people can acknowledge me for whom _I_ am."

Rin raised an eyebrow, maintaining her analytical expression. _"Heh… the little squirt has grown in a very interesting way."_ Nodding, she then turned towards the girl, who was fidgeting about in her seat with the knowledge that she was next in line. Gesturing to her with a nod, the platinum blonde straightened up sharply, brushing her hair out of her face at the same time.

"Uhh… I'm Ino Yamanaka; I like cherry tomatoes, custard pudding, and Sasuke-kun (giggle)!" the girl didn't do much in suppressing the squeal she emitted, which earned an annoyed expression from Naruto and a slightly peeved one from Shino, though no one could really tell. "I don't like Sashimi, bleh! Oh, and my hobbies are shopping and learning about flowers, and my dream for the future is to become a strong shinobi like my mum and dad." The girl smiled with cherry cheeks while straightening her legs out in front of her, feeling quite lifted from her introduction.

Rin, slightly amused from her rather hurried yet exuberant response, kind of suspected this from the Yamanaka heiress. _"The Hokage was right on the money about this one. I'm not really expecting much from the other though…"_ The kunoichi then turned her attention over to Shino, who adjusted his sunglasses before he began to speak.

"I'm Shino Aburame. I like salads, winter melons and bugs. I don't like anything with a strong smell. In my free time I like to study insects, and my dream…" he looked up a little in thought, but then after a few seconds, looked back down towards their teacher, "Probably to become the leader of my clan."

The Team 7 Jonin nodded and then looked over all three of them one last time, making sure she had categorized the information on them correctly. They were definitely the team she was taking on, and most definitely the one that she was going to be testing.

She unfolded her arms and stepped forward some more, taking the spotlight again. "Good. You are all very unique individuals, and you all have your own ideas and interests…" Rin then smirked, deciding to drop the bomb on them right now to dampen their spirits. Personally, from a very Anko point of view, this next announcement was her favorite part of the job thus far; tormenting the youngsters. "But to me, these interests and ideas mean nothing and will in no way contribute to what we're going to be doing next. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to put you three through one final test to see if you guys are good enough to be on _my_ team."

She did a complete 180 in her personality, shocking the students.

"Test?" Naruto blinked in surprise, his other teammates looking up attentively at that announcement. "What kind of test?"

"I thought we finished all of the exams back in the academy," Ino also spoke up, her glare conveying her confusion. "We graduated, so we're Genin now, right?"

"Not quite," Rin grinned, cocking her head slightly. "Those end of semester exams, they were just to select candidates who _could_ become Genin. The actual test is administered by the Jonin, to the academy graduates that they are assigned to. Heh…" The kunoichi had to suppress a laugh when she saw Naruto and Ino's jaws hit the floor, while Shino just shifted uncomfortably on the spot upon hearing the news. "Upon graduating, this is a compulsory examination that all potential teams are put through. Consider everything you've learned back in the academy as a prerequisite to the final trial you have to negotiate. Of the twenty seven graduates that made it through, only nine of them will make the cut and become Genin. The other eighteen will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this next test I'm going to give you is a make it or break it task with a 66 percent chance of failure. And as the one who administers it…" She smirked even wider. "I get to choose how to test you."

"That's stupid!" Naruto shouted, nearly jumping to his feet.

"Come on! That is so unfair! After all that studying and after all that work, we just find out that we're going to fail anyway?" Ino also yelled, trembling with outrage.

Shino however, made no complaint, and simply lowered his head a little to contemplate on this new information. "That is actually a very logical system. We use a structured testing process that assures that only the best of the best make it through, meaning that Konoha chooses quality over quantity in their shinobi, as opposed to other Hidden Villages."

"You're not helping!" Ino snapped at him.

"Actually, the young Aburame over there is right," Rin spoke up, averting back to her normal smile, "This is how the system works, and it's going to stay that way so long as the law dictates it. As the Jonin assigned to this team, _**I**_ decide whether you pass or fail." She then shrugged and laced her hands in front of her, facing the harsh glares and bewildered looks she was being sent with her charming grin. "To be honest with you three though, I'm… keener on having you guys fail more then anything else. You see, I never wanted a team to begin with."

"WHAT?" Naruto and Ino shouted, rising completely to their feet.

"In fact, I was just dragged along onto this gig because the Hokage insisted I finally take up a squad of my own. You should be grateful though," the woman turned slightly, choosing not to face them with the next bit, "If you fail, I'd be saving you three from a lot of pain and bloodshed you will most likely encounter in your careers as shinobi."

"Like hell we'll _**fail**_!" Naruto yelled, spitting on the word and stepping forward, waving a fist at the infuriating woman. Though she may have been very considerate and nice to them up until this point, everything she had practically backhanded them with, tore down her entire former appeal. "We came this far, we're not gonna stop! We'll take any test you throw at us!"

"I'm with Naruto! Don't count us out so quickly!" Ino also shouted, turning towards Shino and tapping him on the chest, encouraging him to say something. "Anything he can take, I can take!"

The Aburame with his hands at his sides also stepped forward in a rather vain attempt to look enthusiastic and spirited. However, the Aburame was hopeless with emotions. This made his confrontational stance rather weak in the eyes of everybody who was present.

On the plus side, he was doing his dad proud.

"We will pass this test…you can count on it," Shino stated in a very normal speaking voice, as opposed to the excessive yelling of his companions. Both Ino and Naruto sweat dropped at the lack of spunk their teammate showed, and just scowled at him through their peripherals.

"Okay, you can be quiet now," Ino hissed.

Rin's smile widened and she turned towards them fully. "Very well then, if you're so sure of yourselves then I will gladly _test_ you. I can see that I don't have a bunch of clawless cubs on my team… a fact that can easily be changed." The woman's grin returned full force and she delivered her next announcement to the team in the most serious tone she could muster above her incredibly cheerful disposition. "Meet me at _Training Field 3_ tomorrow at 5:00AM, and bring your ninja gear. You'll need it if you're to complete my test." She turned and began to walk away, waving a hand over her shoulder. "Okay, you're all dismissed for the day. Good luck. Oh, wait! One more thing I forgot to add…"

The kunoichi glanced back at them, her eyes closed and a creepy, sweet smile emerging on her face when her hair overshadowed her expression. The three would-be Genin jumped when they saw the look she three them, with a hazy apparition of what they first thought was an ANBU mask with fangs suddenly appearing and hovering right next to her head, glaring at them.

The waves of killing intent emitted from it were intense.

"You'd better skip breakfast tomorrow. Otherwise… you'll throw up…" With that cheerful add on, she grinned sweetly and saluted, the apparition vanishing. "Ciao."

The kunoichi disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving three hyped up and nervously sweating teenagers.

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning…<strong>

Naruto, Shino and Ino arrived at the designated training area at the exact same time, walking into the middle of the clearing from three alternative routes. Dawn was cracking over the horizon, and even though it was still dark it was still clear enough for the three youngsters to see where they were going, so when they arrived at the clearing, they were each able to identify three rather ragged looking faces all round.

It wasn't really their plan to get just a couple of hours of sleep that night, but what ninja sleeps nowadays? True Naruto _did_, but mostly out of enjoyment. He had actually stayed up all night and caught up on his studying, rereading his tactics and combat. The result was a slightly frazzled haircut and bags under his eyes with whatever he took in from his books, something which was cleared up with at least three cups of coffee. His other companions however, looked either better or worse.

Ino had made sure to get to sleep early yesterday afternoon, but still only managed the absolute minimum before she was rudely awoken by her bedside clock. She had packed beforehand, and had skipped both dinner and breakfast, with dinner being a part of her dieting plan. Shino on the other hand, even though the others were certain that even he slept, didn't look any different from the last time they saw him. In fact, he was as spry as ever, as indicated by his hands in his pockets and his never changing vacant expression covered by his collar and glasses.

Sure it had been a terrible night, but which one of them cared? It was test day, where they either passed with flying colors or failed spectacularly and are shipped back to school. Whatever the case, neither one of them had the intention of sitting through another boring lecture in a stuffy classroom.

Let the little guys that are a year younger than them deal with the torment.

The moment they arrived they stopped at the center and faced each other. Acknowledging that each one of them was present, they then turned and prepared to wait for their sensei.

They didn't have to wait long.

"You three are almost late," a voice spoke up, making two of the three young graduates jump.

The whole of Team 7 turned around to see their sensei standing just several feet from them, her back facing where the horizon met the sun. The illumination from the emerging morning cast an eerie shadow over the grass and silhouetted her in a very cool manner. However, the children weren't as impressed as they were anxious.

They didn't even have time to prepare.

"How long were you here, sensei?" Ino asked curiously as the woman walked towards them.

"Unlike my teammate Kakashi, who has no concept of time whatsoever, I make it a point to arrive two hours early at the elected location before each meeting," Rin exclaimed, grinning cheekily when she stepped into a clearer view. "Hope you three had a good sleep." These words of good will brought about more than a few spiteful glares.

Hands in her pockets and a backpack slung over her shoulder, the kunoichi then strolled around to where the three training stumps in the middle of the clearing stood. Setting her pack down, she turned to face her team, who also removed their bags and dropped them upon observing their sensei do so. They kept their eyes on their instructor where she stood before the three wooden pillars.

Seeing that they were as ready as they'd ever be, Rin then reached into her pouch and pulled out a hidden object. The item she acquired was a mystery to the three teens until they heard the distinctive sound of bells. The kunoichi dangled them in front of her, the two silver devices ringing on the wind that drifted by. She baited them with it, their eyes locking onto the offending noise makers.

"Here is your objective, target, test… whatever you want to call it," the woman stated, her tone set on administrative. She directed their attention towards her left where the three teens saw only the hills, mountains and the sun rising to meet the day miles away. "You have until the sun reaches its highest point to take these two bells from me. That's one bell _per_ person. If you fail to do so by the allotted time, you'll go on without lunch."

"Bah?" Naruto blinked when they all turned back to face the woman, who then pointed to the three stumps behind her.

"In addition to this, you will each be tied to these three posts and you will _watch_ as I eat _my_ lunch in front of you," Rin said in an all too cheerful tone. She had a tough time maintaining a straight face when she saw the horrified and distraught expressions on the teens' faces, Shino breaking all of his rules to show that he genuinely cared about something for once.

But it didn't end there.

"Oh… and guess what, I took the liberty of going out the other day and buying all of you _your_ favorites," she informed happily, lowering the bells she held and tying them to her belt. "Ramen, winter melons, custard pudding, cherry tomatoes… mmm…" The moan she emitted at the end sounded as though she was having a midlife crisis.

It was all too much for them at this point.

Drool was now hanging from all three of them.

"_That is so unfair," _Ino groaned, patting her empty gut.

"_She used the introductory period to get to know our favorite foods and is now exploiting them as our weaknesses," _Shino also thought, placing a hand over his stomach when it announced its displeasure at having its carrier neglect breakfast. A chorus of all three of their stomachs echoed out into the open.

"That is so _not_ cool!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the woman.

"It's all part of the game," Rin giggled. "A shinobi needs to think before they act, a concept of mind over matter that all those trained in the arts are familiar with, essentially making the body an extension of the mind. It's also a shinobi's job to acquire valuable information about their targets before engaging them. That means that what I said the other day about your interests contributing absolutely nothing to our forthcoming task… was a complete and utter lie."

"You're so cruel!" Naruto slumped over, dismayed and exasperated.

She may have had the face and smile of an angel, but inside she was the devil.

"Wait a second sensei, there are only two bells," Ino pointed out, blinking in confusion. "You said that we each needed to acquire a bell to complete the test. T-There are three of us…"

"Well that way, at least one of you will end of tied to a post and ultimately be disqualified for failing to complete the mission," Rin said, folding her arms and mockingly grinning. "The one who fails gets sent back to the academy." Her grin dropped slightly as she proceeded. "Then again, all three of you could flunk out. So in order to acquire these bells from me, you have to come at me with the intent to kill. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells. So use your weapons as liberally as you wish." The ringing of the bells at her hip finalized the announcement.

The three Genin frowned, taking their time to weigh out their chances of successfully acquiring the bells or failing altogether. Of course, the distance here sort of worked for them, but taking the woman on directly might end up with all their faces in the dirt. They needed time to prepare themselves so they figured the alternative was the best.

"You may start…" Rin blinked. _"NOW!"_

By the time she opened her eyes in her blink, all three teenagers were gone, with only a trail of grass blades and dust hanging in the air indicating that they had taken to the trees. The kunoichi nodded approvingly and walked out into the middle of the clearing, hands in her pockets and the bells dangling at her side, chiming with every step she took.

"Time to wait for their first move…"

* * *

><p>Something that wouldn't come immediately…<p>

**A couple hours later…**

Rin found herself a solitary figure in the middle of the clearing, in a stance that could be considered casual and looking around absently. She had thought about pursuing them to make sure that their skills in concealment and stealth were up to scratch. However, standing where she was, she could see that their ability to hide was actually spot on. A contributing factor to this element of the game was that the attackers weren't in motion. Had there been any movement made by any of them in any way, she would have picked up on it through her enhanced hearing.

However, the crickets and birds were singing, so that told her something else.

"_Crickets are normally quiet when an animal or person is nearby… so that means they aren't moving. That's good," _Rin smiled genuinely as she glanced around. _"Now… what kind of plan are they hatching?"_

Naruto was sitting high up in the trees, shadowed by the thick brush of the oak while glaring around its trunk at the Jonin he could clearly see standing far below. He had watched her move out from the three stumps where their bags were, with the target dangling an inch below her hip, taunting him. However, smart enough to know that he couldn't take on a Jonin directly, the jinchuriki decided to wait it out and think up a plan of how to acquire the bells.

For the next hour he sat on the same perch, breaking out into a small sweat as he hid his presence and contemplated on a course of action.

"_Can't hide forever,"_ the boy muttered in his head, fingers tensing slightly. _"She might try to hunt us down if we wait here too long. This test could go one way or another. I have to think of a good line of attack to get myself close to those bells, enough to make her forget about coming after us. I bet Ino and Shino are thinking up something as well. No way are they going to be sitting around waiting for her to come to them. There's too much at stake here."_ The blonde brought his hand up to his chin and stroked it tensely. He then ran his hand over the back of his neck, sighing out exasperatedly. _"Man… it's hot out today…"_

Perhaps it was the nerves. Of course! It made sense. He was so hyped up over the exam that he was unable to fully immerse himself into the character of a shinobi. The butterflies in his stomach made him clammy on the outside and incredibly tense. He could feel every bead of sweat drip down his face, conveying the amount of pressure he was under. However, after a moment of relaxed breathing and thought, he calmed himself down.

Knowing that even the slightest of movement could give away his position, he decided to change tactics.

He sat himself on the branch, arm draped over a knee brought up to his chest, and he began to think even harder.

"_I can't fail here! I won't!"_ Naruto murmured in his head and shut his eyes, his body trembling as he thought long and hard. _"A shinobi fights alongside their teammates. The team comes up with the plan! But when a shinobi finds that they are alone, they must think of a way to either: fight a one on one battle or figure out a way to rejoin their comrades. On our own we're sitting ducks, but as a group, we are strong. Okay… good… come on. Keep thinking. Keep thinking. Think!"_

The jinchuriki slowly, but surely, began recalling the information from the books he had read over the past couple of weeks, categorizing what was significant and what was irrelevant to the task at hand. From all of the jumbled up facts his clones had collected, it made it difficult for him to compartmentalize certain tactics and alike, but he was getting the hang of it.

It would still take some time.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the clearing, hidden beneath some bushes lay Ino Yamanaka, the girl holding onto each breath in her attempts to remain hidden. Judging from how the Jonin was still aimlessly wandering the area in thought gave the platinum blonde reason enough to believe that her stealth and hiding techniques were working well. She couldn't fathom how the other two were comparing, but since neither of them have shown up in her eyes or on their sensei's radar, means they were also well hidden.

However, the next part was the tricky part.

They were in hiding, but for how long would they remain that way. Ino figured it would be at least another hour before the Jonin started looking for them, perhaps as part of the challenge to make it more difficult for them. She seemed to have that sort of level of patience about her character, which would prompt her to take action sooner based on a logical system rather than later. But the veteran was not going to be deceived. She was a professional and from the way she strode about the clearing without a care in the world, a damn good one. Nobody would leave themselves so open to attack unless they meant it.

Ino hoped to Kami that Naruto wouldn't come up with anything stupid, like go out all high and mighty and challenge her one on one. He did it before, back when Iruka was teaching a more advanced form of academy taijutsu for the first time… about a year ago.

Boy, was that a mess.

"_But how do we get the bells?" _Ino thought, dispersing that memory instantly. _"There's gotta be some sort of trick to this, for something so tedious and time wasting. No way. U-Uh! I refuse to believe it. I just can't imagine that she would simply send one of us back to the academy and split up the team, if that person fails to get one stupid bell. No. It's more complicated then that."_ The girl chose to approach this from a more logical stand point, peeling away the outside of the woman's deception to get to the heart of the issue.

Maybe she was looking at this too closely? Maybe she simply had to stand back and look at it as a whole? What were the stakes? Failing, with the team breaking up on the first day? Being sent back to the academy? Restarting anew?

And what did they already have with them? A team, a sensei, a pass-fail challenge, a target and a time limit; she needed to look at these more carefully.

"_Maybe Naruto or Shino will come up with a plan…"_ Ino sweat dropped, sort of losing confidence in that aspect of their team. _"Just… please… not a __**stupid**__ plan…"_

The Aburame on the other hand had hidden himself _well_ and completely out of sight. There were no visible signs of him anywhere in the woods, only that he had planted himself high in some random tree on the edge of the clearing, confined to the shadows and overlooking the field with an unflinching, calculative glare. He made no gesture of discomfort, no comment or an exhale of frustration, or spared any thought to the individualistic task of acquiring the bell for himself. Being the most calculating of his teammates, he focused primarily on the groups' collaboration of skills he had learnt from them, the tactics they could use, and how they could approach their target.

Cataloging everything in his head, he then summed up everything, from the adversary, to the mission, to the time, and directed it towards the end goal. An assignment like _this_ required finesse and diversionary tactics; probably the only way they would be able to out gun an elite Jonin in the field.

No matter how stacked the odds were against them, Shino knew they had to at least try.

OOO

Rin sighed as she looked around, hands in her pockets.

"_Maybe this test was a bad idea," _the kunoichi thought with a slight shrug to her shoulders. _"This was the only scenario I could come up with on short notice that can actually qualify as an adequate assessment of their skills. Minato-sensei did the same thing to us and we couldn't even touch him."_

It was true. From her experience, she knew that this was an impossible test that would either break a team or force them together to function as one. This was why so many squads in the past failed to meet Kakashi's expectations; he simply kept on using the same test with the same objective over and over again, mostly to see if any of them were able to meet his standards. This made her reconsider the actual test and wonder whether or not she was being too harsh on the children. However, after a few minutes of deliberation, she decided that it was a _good_ idea overall, as anything else would have been too easy or too hard.

She could have gone for an intimidation tactic that would have forced the team to single each other out. But the Aburame and the Yamanaka were too smart for that. There was also the idea of having them solve a problem by an allotted time, but the aspects necessary would have taken too much time and effort to come up with, as well as a suitable plot for them to follow.

It was the reason why Rin settled on this exam in the end. She decided to take a page out of their master's book and use it, since Minato was the only one she could completely recall for advice. He was one of the wisest shinobi she knew, so any team that could pass this test would be considered a great team in her book.

If they could prove her otherwise, then she would just have to take them on.

"_We'll see if this generation has caught up," _Rin thought with a smile.

While she was thinking about how she had not wanted to take on a team in the first place and how Kakashi suckered her into signing up for one, she was then distracted from her thoughts when she sensed somebody approaching her. Turning around, the brown haired girl glared towards the forests where she saw a shadowy figure jump out of the canopy and land on the edge of the clearing.

Trench coat trailing behind her and a big smile on her pretty face, Rin saw Anko strolling towards her with a stick of dango in her mouth.

"Yo!" the purple haired Jonin exclaimed, earning a smile from the Team 7 leader.

"Hey Anko-chan, how are you?" Rin asked, livened at seeing her friend arrive.

"Fine. Just been walking around and stuff. Whatsup?" the kunoichi grinned, stopping beside the woman to take a bite from her dumplings.

Ino and Shino blinked in surprise when they saw the second shinobi appear, but remained hidden. Despite their teacher's attention being set elsewhere from the existing set of events, they knew that the test was still running. Someone like her wouldn't slip up so easily and now that there were two of them out on the range, it made the situation even more nail biting, since the newcomer may have come as added support for the Jonin.

"_Great… what now?"_ Ino thought nervously, clenching her fingers somewhat.

"_Who is that woman?"_ Shino thought, taking in the kunoichi's appearance and dress while she engaged in conversation with her comrade. He took note of her character and the way she seemed to engage with the other woman. At first, it seemed as though she had simply arrived on the scene by pure coincidence to catch up with an old friend, but the Aburame sensed something off about her.

"_Could it be…?" _His sunglasses flashed when an idea came to mind.

It was a long shot, but it was possible.

I mean, what other way was there to get the others' attention?

Taking a chance, Shino held out his index finger, summoning one of his beetles. The little insect crawled towards the tip, batted its wings several times, before eventually taking flight. With its instructions it flew out of the trees and headed down towards the field, approaching the two kunoichi.

Anko grinned and looked around, drinking in the area of _Training Field 3_. "Man, I tell yah, it's sure been a while since I was last here. I remember years ago I would always come here to work on my jutsu and lie in the shade underneath those trees. Boy… so many memories." The purple haired woman glanced back at her fellow shinobi, seeing her still staring at her with a hardened expression. "Training?"

"In a manner of speaking," Rin replied back heartedly, hands in her pockets and a genuine smile in play. "I'm just test driving some fresh meat out of the academy… seeing if they're good enough to be a team."

"Oh, this old gig," Anko chuckled, lowering her dango stick and wiping her mouth against the back of her sleeve. "I thought you didn't want to be a team leader? Why the sudden change of heart?"

"A… complicated case. I don't really want to get too into it right now," Rin replied, still remaining where she was with a friendly yet slightly curious look on her face as she sized up the woman. Why she was doing that was beyond Anko, but both of them remained where they were, intent on keeping the conversation going for as long as possible.

Deciding to change subjects, the specialist Jonin then brought their attention back to the clearing. She looked around with a happy smirk on her face while gesturing towards the logs at the edge where the bags were deposited.

"I remember when _my_ sensei gave us our first test out here all those years ago. Heh… it was also the first real mission my team ever took."

"Tell me about it. It's been years and I can still remember my first test," Rin said lightly, also looking towards the logs. The kunoichi then pointed towards the middle stump, drawing out a clear picture in the air from her memories. "I remember… after Obito charged out and attacked our master, trying so desperately to get a hold of one of the bells he ended up tied to the post and had his lunch privileges for the day taken away from him. In the end, Kakashi and I were the ones that got the bells and our teacher scolded Obito. Heh." It was at that thought a more genuine smile fell over her face, and her mask of intimidation (if it could be called that) left her, to be replaced by one of longing memory and affection. She chuckled to herself, earning a curious look from Anko. "I miss them so much… both of them…"

"No kidding," Anko blinked. The brown haired woman then turned towards her, her expression returning to its casual one with a smile and a shrug. She then looked down at the last dango stick her friend was holding, and after looking upon the one remaining dumpling on the base end for several seconds, nodded back up to the kunoichi holding it.

"A little early for dango isn't it?" Rin asked, emphasizing the sun hanging over the mountains, with the orange and purple sky looming overhead.

"Heh. You know me, Rin! I just _love_ this stuff," Anko moaned happily and took the last bite, tossing the stick to the ground. "I tell yah. Nothing beats the smell of dango in the morning."

"(Giggle)… indeed."

"Hey, speaking of eat-ACK!" The woman jumped when she felt something land on her face. She looked down with a bit of a scowl to see a beetle crawling up the ridge of her nose, beating its wings and clicking loudly. Attempting to wiggle the offender off first, the purple haired woman then waved it away with Rin watching from the sidelines with a puzzled look as the little critter buzzed around her comrade a few times.

"Stupid bee… why don't you…" Anko paused a moment later when she saw the attacker land against her hand and scrutinized it. Taking note of its unique, charcoal shell, antenna, and how friendly it was, her eyes then widened in realization before the bug decided to take off again and flew towards the forest. "Oh…" The Jonin followed it with her eyes, using her well honed senses to keep a lock on it.

Apparently, her best friend had the same idea in mind.

"Very distinctive those insects," Rin grinned in amusement as she watched the minute annoyance disappear into the bushes. "Hard to get rid of them sometimes, there are so many. Don't you agree, Anko-chan?" the kunoichi smiled and glanced back at the other.

The dumpling enthusiast chuckled and rubbed the back of her head in a very characteristic manner. "Yeah… I guess there are. Hey!" the woman snapped her fingers and gestured behind her. "Why don't you ditch these brats and come grab something to eat with me? I'll buy?"

"Uhh… no thanks… I'm good," Rin replied, conveying a nervous tone, waving a hand before gesturing to the bells at her side. The two silver balls rung out with her movements, filling the air with their distinctive jingle. "They still need to get these things off of me, so I'm not leaving this field until they do." She ended with a rather uncharacteristic smirk and glanced skeptically up at her purple haired friend, seeing her take curious interest in the items hanging from her side. "With the challenge I gave them though, they'd do _anything_ to get a hold of them. _Anything_…"

"The bell test huh?" Anko grinned a moment later and straightened herself up. "I remember _that_ one. Could I have a look at those?" she asked while holding a hand out.

"Sure…" Rin replied, reaching for the two items.

At first Anko thought the woman was simply going to hand them over, no questions asked and with a good natured giggle. The smile on her face conveyed her deep interest on the matter and promised full cooperation no matter what.

However, she didn't expect for the brown haired kunoichi to ball her fist before swiftly slamming it across her face, sending the purple haired Jonin flying through the air. Anko literally spun from the hit and crashed into a nearby tree, slumping against it after forming a dent in its side.

Ino blinked in shock. _"What the hell? Why did she just attack her like that?"_

Shino was also looking surprised.

Anko groaned and sat up, rubbing her jaw that was now bleeding heavily. Shaking off the ringing in her ears, she then looked up to see Rin standing over her with a wide smile plastered on her all-knowing face.

"You clever little monkey, you," the Jonin exclaimed, her tone more amused then serious but still convincing for a shinobi. "Nearly fooled me there for a second…"

At first, the purple haired kunoichi just scowled. But then, a smirk crossed her bruised face and she brought her knee up to her chest, draping an arm over her leg.

"What gave me away?" A puff of white smoke exploded around her and lifted seconds later to reveal Naruto sitting up against the tree with a red face and a trickle of blood dripping from his mouth.

"Your teammate's parasitic beetle… and the fact that Anko-chan is a dear friend of mine and she always refers to me as _Rin-chan_, and greets me as such," the kunoichi replied while slipping her hands into her pockets. "Yo! You overplayed your part!" That cheeky remark was made in emphasis towards the Genin's earlier greeting under the guise of the woman she knew well.

OOO

The two members of Team 7 were astonished.

Not just from Naruto coming close to pulling one over on their sensei, but the fact that he had made the first move with quite a solid plan in mind. Had he done some more research, it might have worked. But unfortunately, he was found out by a keener eyed shinobi and that meant he either had a backup plan or was prepared to fail.

Their guess was the latter…

Shino prepared himself by drawing a kunai, the blade flashing when he was pulled out of its holster. However, before he could take any necessary action, he was stopped when he unexpectedly felt a hand on his shoulder.

OOO

Back down in the clearing, Naruto chuckled and spat out a wad of blood to the side, still dripping a lot of it. "I thought I had it down…"

"Oh, you did," Rin smiled. "But you just made the mistake of using a person I was unknowingly familiar with. Also, being a Jonin for so many years I can easily identify the difference in weight between the original and a clone." She pulled her right hand out of her pocket with a kunai latched on to her finger. Twirling it swiftly, she cuffed it into a good grip and threw it at the boy slumped up against the tree.

The moment the blade hit, Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke. The kunai remained lodged in the side of the trunk with the impression of the boy's impact still showing.

"I didn't have to worry too much about hitting you, but I'm surprised you were able to hold it up for so long before it dispelled," Rin smiled sweetly and turned around, eyes flickering over the trees one after the other. _"Now… where did that Kikaichū go?"_

OOO

"A Bunshin?" Shino blinked as he looked upon the blonde haired boy kneeling on the same branch directly behind him.

"Kage Bunshin," Naruto exclaimed, slipping in beside the Aburame so that they could look over the clearing together. "Mind if I squeeze in?"

"Not at all. Comrade's code," the other teen murmured and also turned towards the training field. They could see their sensei standing some ways out, still in the same spot she had been when she struck down the transformed copy. The whole situation had Shino's head locked in a spin. "That is a really advanced technique. Where did you learn that?"

"Library. Nowadays I spend a lot of time browsing the shelves. Can you blame me? I get bored easily." The jinchuriki didn't really feel like divulging the exact location where he had acquired his technique, but he was pretty sure his teammates wouldn't be able to read into it. He was certain Hiruzen now had the _**Scroll of Seals**_ under lock and key, and none of them would be able to read the hand seal he used because he only hand one hand to deal it. "Call it a hobby."

"I was under the impression that you couldn't use either ninjutsu or genjutsu, Naruto."

"That news is a week old… at least. Believe it. I've changed…"

"You are incredibly adaptable when you need to be," the bug user whispered back, his brow furrowing some more as he kept his eyes locked on the kunoichi, who was at that moment scanning the canopies for them. He ducked to make sure he was out of sight, dragging his companion down with him. "What is the plan?"

"I don't know. You tell me?" Naruto blinked. "You're the guy who said that you could cook up strategies."

"Details; was there any valuable information you could pick up from your brief conversation with her?"

"Well… not so much on info. I'm going to venture a guess that our sensei has the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a dog. She's sharp. If Iruka could spot _us_ when we were moving from our hiding spots, then I'm pretty sure _she_ can too," Naruto whispered back, only to earn a rather hard glance from the Aburame.

"I believe that all those finds made by our previous sensei, was mostly due to you announcing your presence all too frequently as a gloating tactic in the middle of the stealth practical sessions," Shino replied, quickly recalling some of the teen's past lessons in the academy. The jinchuriki's antics stretched far beyond the pages of his poor test results. For as long as the Aburame could remember Naruto had been causing no ends of trouble for Iruka, especially on the training fields when he would deliberately call the Chunin out and taunt him into chucking stuff at him.

That was the main reason why Naruto kept on getting found out and his stealth techniques normally failed, albeit spectacularly.

Naruto's eyes squinted in annoyance and he looked over at the boy still staring at him. "_Right_ with a nod and _damn_ with a shake… I forgot about those tests. Boy. I was a real dumbass back then, wasn't I…?"

"As long as we do not over exert our movements, she won't be able to detect us," Shino whispered, his tone firmly set on mono. "The plan you had before to trick her into handing over the bells was ingenious, but it wasn't full proof. A smart shinobi is trained to keep an item safe and secure for the sake of and throughout the entirety of the mission in question. Parlor tricks aren't going to be enough to acquire our targets, I'm afraid. This one is on a whole other level."

"Then what do you suppose we do?" Naruto asked, now at a loss. "My main intention with that stunt was to find out where you guys were at, if not get a hold of those damn things myself. I figured I could just get the ball rolling so that she wouldn't come looking for us out of boredom."

"Now that the climax has started edging towards us, I believe a direct confrontation with our sensei is now inevitable," Shino replied, glasses flashing. "We'll need to rendezvous with our other teammate to formulate a coherent plan to acquire those bells. Working individually will not work in this case. The most logical course of action would be to trap her, bind her hands and feet so she cannot weave hand seals, and knock her out if necessary."

"Alright," Naruto whispered back with a nod, both of them glancing back out towards the open space of the training field. "What's our first step?"

"Sneak around quietly and come around from the right. I believe our teammate is hiding in _that_ general direction," Shino stated. "Find Ino and organize ourselves…"

"Hey, what are you guys whispering about?" a familiar voice whispered in from between them, the sound of bells accompanying the question.

Both Genin froze immediately with shocked looks crossing over their formerly intense faces, and sweat immediately beginning to drip down the sides of their heads. By the time their eyes returned to the field, it took them about a minute or so before they realized that their sensei was no longer standing anywhere in sight. As a matter of fact, she was squatting right in between them, smiling sweetly and acting as though she were joining in on the conversation.

OOO

An explosion ripped apart the tree a split second after Shino and Naruto flew out of the canopy.

From her hiding place, Ino looked up in astonishment.

What could have prompted such a sudden and devastating attack? It was an explosive tag for sure, but why in the world would either of them deploy it?

Both of the Genin that had managed to escape the bellowing flames flipped through the air before skidding across the clearing, digging their heels in to a stop. Taking stances, the duo glared up towards the tree they had just set alight, intently searching for their illusive and fast moving target.

Meanwhile, a secondary paper bomb that had been prepared for the engagement remained lit and crackling in the hand of the jinchuriki that had unleashed the first one. The boy fanned it to keep the burn at a gentle simmer. Nevertheless, he paid it little concern since it wouldn't blow unless he willed it, and hung onto it just in the case their teacher decided to show her face.

"How the hell did she find us?" Naruto asked.

"If _you_ can trace a bug back to its owner then so can I." Both Genin jumped forward and spun around, where they saw their sensei standing several meters away behind them, with not a scratch on her and smiling cheerfully at them.

She seemed pretty relaxed for someone who just avoided getting blown into a million pieces.

"You wouldn't believe how many Aburame have already used that tactic during the Chunin Exams of years past. It's not that hard for Konoha shinobi to miss a particular type of beetle flying about unless it was a part of a mission." She blinked when she saw them both drop into stances and prepared themselves for battle, with Naruto additionally extinguishing the paper tag he was holding. The kunoichi giggled lightly when she saw them prep themselves for a duel. "Oh-ho. Taijutsu? You want to fight me? Okay then."

She reached back into her pouch, her hand sliding out of sight and beginning to fumble about for something. The two teens gritted their teeth and quickly began making random guesses as to what she could be looking for. Kunai? Shuriken? Fuma Blade? If she was going to fight with them directly then it was clear she wasn't going to be economic and fight bare handed? She was a professional, as stressed by Ino numerous times.

That was _their_ first thought; she was reaching for a weapon to deal with them both, so it had to be something she was proficient with. Knowing how strong their academy teacher was back during the taijutsu courses, they knew that this one was going to be wicked powerful, even though the odds were two to one.

Whatever melee weapon she was searching for, it was not going to be good for them.

…

They both face planted the floor when they saw the woman pull out a 375 milliliter carton of milk and a straw. Poking a hole through the cap provided, Rin then popped the straw in and proceeded to drain it of everything inside of the box. The first few sips and a swallow later had her sigh out in utter joy and satisfaction.

"Ahh! Nothing beats _Kyuju's_ _Farmer's Brand_," the kunoichi exclaimed, shaking the carton a little to mix the flavor. "Should be enough for the next half an hour. That is… if I take it easy."

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Naruto leapt to his feet, followed by an equally disgruntled Shino. Both of their clothes were disheveled from them falling over simultaneously, with the Aburame having to additionally adjust his lopsided sunglasses.

Even some rustling in the bushes indicated that Ino had face planted as well, looking up with dirt in her face and red on her cheeks.

"_Milk… I should have known…"_ the girl groaned in her head, continuing to lie flat on the floor. _"She's not taking this seriously at all…"_

"W-Why are you drinking milk at a time like this?" Naruto growled, holding up a trembling fist. "Aren't you concerned about us at all?"

"I haven't had breakfast yet so… yeah," Rin smiled happily at them. "Besides, I'm not worried. Even with just the two of you, your attacks wouldn't work on me."

"WHAT?" the jinchuriki shouted.

"I mean… you guys are just green as grass Genin. What can two of you possibly do to me that would make me want to fight back?"

Needless to say, Naruto was outraged.

Nobody insulted his fighting skills by not paying attention and got away with it. This was an offense that he was not going to stand for.

This called for some serious toning.

"COVER ME SHINO!" Naruto roared and recklessly launched himself forward. Amidst the falling embers of the burning tree and Shino finishing brushing himself down from _his_ fall, the blonde haired boy lunged at the all too cheerful woman, who stuck the straw of her drink back into her mouth and began leisurely sipping away. As extension, she closed her eyes and placed her free hand behind her back.

The boy came at her fist first, his attacks prompting her to take a few steps backwards in avoidance. Her body moved in accordance with his attempted strikes, which hooked through the air left and right. The Genin swiftly drove home with jab and a right hook, followed by an uppercut which she stepped around with relative ease.

Naruto got the shock of his life when all he saw next was a blur followed by a shading of green and stars in his eyes. The boy stumbled back hurriedly with a shout of surprise, his head pounding as though he had taken a direct blow from someone wielding a mallet. His arms held up a little too late to block the counter, the Genin then calmed himself down enough to assess the situation. When he looked back to see Rin still smiling, eyes closed and drinking, it looked as though she hadn't moved at all.

Rubbing his bruised forehead no longer guarded by his head protector, the jinchuriki grinned.

"You head-butted me!" Naruto stated, hopping on the spot to keep his pace going. In the meantime, he took note that the woman was still wearing _her_ headband, which attributed to a more solid and painful attack.

A drop of blood trickling down his face indicated he had not only been severely bruised but also cut.

Rin giggled. "My, you have a strong head, Naruto-kun. An ordinary Genin would have been knocked out with a concussion."

"_Just one hit and I feel like I'm about to keel over," _Naruto gritted his teeth and attempted to reconstitute himself with his opponent, who looked as though she was in three places at once from what he could see. _"But those bells are still mine!"_ Yelling out, Naruto swiftly charged in, arcing around the field and kicking up dust.

Naruto leapt at her with a spin kick followed by another, his rotation allowing him to perform a double, which the woman avoided. While he attacked, Rin continued to enjoy her drink as if nothing was happening around her. She once again stepped back to avoid a return punch by the boy coming back around, followed by a side kick, a couple of hooks and a straight jab.

The blonde was consistently looking around through his peripherals, because the woman was so bloody quick. Whenever he attacked where she was, she was gone a split second later, only to be standing in his blind spot. Gritting his teeth after a failed punch, he lunged in with another jab followed by a right elbow, which he spun around to administer from her right. But she ended up blocking it with her free hand with ease.

The woman flinched a little, not one that was noticable but one which she felt, when she remembered something important about what Hiruzen told her.

_"I have to stay as far away from that right arm of his as possible... he can dispel my technique if I touch his skin directly..."_

The stopping power behind her guard felt like he was hitting a cushioned anvil and she was barely registering to him.

Recovering, Naruto leapt back then in, round house kicking her towards her head, which she backed up an inch to avoid. He followed through with the same leg and swept behind and around, aiming directly at _her_ legs. The sweeping maneuver landed, but when his leg impacted with hers it effectively bounced off of the pillar supporting her and she didn't do anything at all! It was like he was sparring with a solid fixture!

"_What the fuck! Are her legs made of lead?" _Naruto gasped and looked up when he swung around to reassert himself, only to see the woman carelessly lift her free hand and with an open palm, effortlessly slammed him in the face.

The blow rocked Naruto's body and sent him flying through the air before tumbling across the solid ground bonelessly. When he stopped, he quickly leapt back to his feet and with another yell, charged at the woman.

Rin sipped away, looking up curiously to see the boy still on his feet. On one of her more extended slurps, she pursed her lips against her straw.

"_Not bad. Two direct hits to the head and he's still up. He must be seeing six of me now," _the woman thought, impressed. _"I doubt even a Genin Akimichi would be able to handle those light blows."_ She smiled and leant her head back, avoiding a flying spin kick aimed at her. She then lifted her free hand and carelessly blocked two punches, making sure to aim for his arm warmers, aimed for her stomach, and curling her wrist to block a side kick.

The last attack had Naruto slide back when he pushed himself off against a woman that was practically a wall. Blinking in shock, the jinchuriki back flipped away and landed a safe distance from her.

He dropped to his knees and yanked his leg warmers down.

"Fuck this! I'm going full throttle!" Naruto shouted, ripping off his weight bands and drawing four shuriken at the same time. The moment he straightened up he threw the stars at her, which curled through the air in four different directions.

Rin smiled and ducked right into the path of one of the projectiles. One after the other, she blocked each of the flying weapons with her forehead protector, the metallic stars clanging loudly with every hit and falling to the floor without her exerting any effort to catch them whatsoever. When she looked up, she saw Naruto sprinting at her, this time at a much faster speed that made his form blur out of focus slightly.

Well, he looked like a blur to Shino and Ino, but to the Jonin it looked as though he was moving in super slow motion.

With a roar, the blonde sprang into the air, rocketing towards an altitude which Rin followed with her eyes. When she saw him practically vanish into the wide open blue high above, she sipped her drink.

"_He can jump pretty high. Not bad for a rookie…"_

"This isn't a spectator sport!" the statement from a fully recovered Shino came in, and the woman stepped back effortlessly when the boy flew at her from the side with a punch. She easily avoided it and the next series of combos that followed.

The Aburame tensed and leapt back, before lunging in with a straight jab right for her center. Rin smiled and was prepared to block it, until she caught something out of the corner of her eye and she instead curled her hand around the boy's arm and upper body. Sweeping a leg, she knocked his feet out from under him and flipped him over, flinging him through the air. The teen rolled when he hit the ground and stopped himself on all fours.

Glaring up through a cracked pair of glasses, Shino saw the kunoichi standing in a relaxed state several feet away, still smiling in enjoyment and looking as though she wasn't doing anything at all.

"You were planning on slipping your parasitic insects onto me during a close quarter skirmish, in order to slow me down for your friend. Good but…" She paused for a moment to slurp her drink, Shino's eyebrow twitching irritatingly. "You still need some more work…hm?"

In the blink of an eye, the kunoichi saw a cloud of insects suddenly shoot out from the boy's jacket, from both the high collar and sleeves, and at the same time watched as he assumed a kneeling position. The sheer number of airborne beetles clouded him from view for the briefest of moments, before they suddenly dispersed and the teen charged at the kunoichi. His arms and shoulders looked as though the insects were emitting off of him like flames so when he came in with a punch, they expanded, extending his range by a couple of meters.

Rin however, calm as ever, strolled right around the attack. To her, it was merely a couple of steps, but Shino was dumbfounded when the woman managed to get behind him with a speed too great for him to follow, meaning he overshot her completely. Spinning around, the teenager threw both his hands directly towards her, and an even bigger cloud of bugs tore out of his arms and flew towards the woman.

The kunoichi shimmied back slightly when the mass of insects lunged but didn't effectively pursue her. The swarm dispersed again and Shino came in, dropping the blocking maneuver and jumping into a side kick. The woman dodged that and the punches that followed when he landed and returned. Eventually, Shino came in with a wide hook, which she countered by stepping outside of it, and cutting through the cloud of beetles swarming his body, once again rammed her head into her opponent's forehead.

Her brow colliding with his rang out with a loud clang and Shino was sent tumbling to the ground, his insects unable to respond in time to her shocking speed. Rolling several times, the boy stopped and managed to sit himself up in time to look up and see the woman remove her mouth from the straw of her drink. Despite seeing three of her and the fact that he was already panting from the effort of attacking, the boy was still able to register to visible queues, and watched as she licked her lips with a smile and emit a satisfied moan.

"You kids leave yourselves too open for attack."

A second later, Rin looked up towards the sky where she saw Naruto barreling towards her from directly above, foot first. Chuckling, the kunoichi side stepped, watching the boy slam his foot into the ground instead.

Though he came down at her with the full power of his attack put behind his leg, he controlled his landing and hit the soil with just a light tap, so as to not over exert himself. Gasping, the blonde boy glanced up to see the woman's forehead descending upon his and, for the second time that day, she slammed it straight into his.

The Jonin sent him barreling backwards into the ground, where he eventually stopped several feet away, joining his friend in groveling in exhaustion and fatigue.

"You two are quite strong for graduates," Rin exclaimed, looking at the two slumped individuals. "Naruto… you've got a very sturdy body, but not the strength necessary to effectively bring down another opponent. There's a difference in attack strength and strength that gives you increased jumping distance and speed. An opponent who is weaker then you, but has had more practice in their fighting style and has superior technique, can still defeat you. Work on applying your strengths to your attacks **_and_** form." She then looked towards the Aburame panting away. "You Shino… you have good control and technique, combining both taijutsu with your parasitic insect swarms to prevent opponents from getting close. However, you're still too slow and leave yourself wide open for attacks. Work on covering your blind spots more effectively."

Both Genin looked at each other, having heard what she said but the two of them unable to respond to her effectively. They were knackered.

"You have good skill for graduates, but you get sloppy when either agitated or intimidated. **Do not** let your opponents overcome you before you even get a chance to fight them for real," Rin lectured with a small smile. "I may not be as strong as Kakashi, but I do have skills that he lacks. Be grateful that this is just a spar."

"A…A SPAR? You call this a spar?" Naruto shouted in disbelief from where he lay, clutching his bruised and bleeding forehead. He pointed accusingly at her when he was sure he was only seeing three of her. "You're decimating us… AND YOU'RE DRINKING MILK!"

Rin giggled and held the carton in question up, shaking the box a little. "Well… it's half done. But you're doing great so fa-" The woman was effectively cut off when the ground unexpectedly caved in beneath her and she began to fall. However, reacting swiftly, she struck her legs out at both sides and promptly suspended herself above the twenty foot drop beneath her in a perfect split.

Naruto and Shino looked up, stunned.

Rin, making sure her milk wasn't spilt looked down towards the bottom where she saw the rubble from the former top soil fall onto a series of kunai lined up all along the base of the hole like a bamboo trap. She raised an eyebrow as she held herself in her life saving split.

"Hmm… skewered… not a good way to go…"

Taking this as a chance, Naruto sprang back to his feet. Cranking his legs down to full tension, he dashed right around her in a black and orange blur, grabbing Shino up by his jacket and running right towards the edge of the clearing. A smoke pellet exploded where Shino was lying the moment he was collected, covering their retreat in a thick purple cloud. Rin managed to follow them up until that point and by the time the smoke dispersed the area was clear.

Blinking, she smiled and kicked off one of the walls her foot was pressed up against, pushing herself back up onto flat ground. Stepping away from the hole that almost got her she brought her milk back up and continued drinking.

"_The other one must have dug the trap from the tree line to give them an opening to escape. Good… they're learning…"_ She slipped a hand into her pocket and turned around, turning her eyes towards the sky. _"Now… what will they do next?"_

OOO

All three kids were panting from the scuffle.

Naruto was completely drained with one of the biggest headaches he'd ever had, as the Jonin had split his forehead open and he was bleeding, something which Ino was able to fix up for him when he dropped into the bushes where she was hiding. Shino was also tired, his insects working damage control from his own little bout with the teacher. Ino on the other hand was in a whole other area of exhaustion, her hands bandaged up from her furious digging and her body covered in all sorts of crap.

The platinum blonde scolded the both of them for their stupidity.

"You thought you could take on a fully fledged Jonin, _our_ sensei, who's probably had a hundred years more experience then you two combined, and expected to come out clean," Ino hissed, keeping her frustration down to a minimum when she finished tying off the jinchuriki's bandages. "Naruto I understand, but you to Shino?"

"We grossly underestimated her capabilities," the Aburame replied, looking up at the girl. "But you saved us. Thank you."

"Don't sweat it. We lowly members of Team 7 have to stick together," the girl smirked, patting Naruto on the back, who winced. "Even with all your improvements, you still weren't a match for her."

"I may be strong, but I'm still way below her league," Naruto sighed, rubbing his jaw. "I've never fought anyone like her before in my entire life. She was _so_ fast and strong, I could barely keep up with her, and she wasn't even trying. There's no way we can get those bells if we attack her like that."

"Not on your own," Ino explained, looking between the two of them as they sat up. In their hiding place in the shrubs, they huddled up, with the platinum blonde keeping her ears open for anyone unknown standing nearby. Even her teammates were looking around and above them, making sure that their sensei didn't get the drop on them like she did before. "You guys went about it the wrong way, you attacked her one at a time and that's not necessarily good teamwork, is it?"

"No," Shino replied, while Naruto grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"I… I guess not…"

"Over here, Naruto," Ino clicked her fingers in front of his face when she saw he was looking away from her. The boy jump started and looked around, still looking whacked out of it.

"Sorry… I'm still a little dizzy," Naruto murmured, swaying a bit but quickly shaking it off. "Go on…"

"Geez. Anyway, while you guys were dancing around out there trying to catch her, I came up with a plan of attack," Ino held up a finger in a scolding manner and jabbed it towards them. "After observing your fights, I added up our skill sets and I came up with something that should end this quickly. We all need to work in sync and we all have a part to play…"

Shino and Naruto looked at each other briefly and looked back, nodding their heads.

"What do we do…?"

* * *

><p><strong>Some time later…<strong>

**Close to around nine…**

Rin was busy basically doing nothing as she waited for her Genin to come back out into the open, free hand in her pocket and her lips still indulged in her morning treat. She hummed to herself as she drank her fourth... or... seventh carton of milk, eyes scanning the forests left and right for any signs of movement that could give away their position. However, unlike last time, she didn't have a beetle to follow, not to mention Naruto and Shino made sure not to leave a trail to lead her back to them.

At least they cleaned up well.

Their other teammate had taken advantage of their fight to tunnel right underneath her and set a trap. It was surprisingly quick for an academy graduate, but this also gave her an idea as to what the Yamanaka's other strengths were.

"_One of them is a close range specialist, the other is medium range… while her,"_ Rin smiled. _"Traps and strategies… what an interesting group…"_ Picking up on the sound of leaves crunching under foot, the woman glanced over her shoulder towards the tree line behind her.

There, she saw all three of them standing in a line, feet shoulder width apart and an arms distance between each of them. All three of them were glaring at her and all of them were either looking ragged or had bandages on them. But in spite of this, the young members of Team 7 were pumped up and ready for round two, causing Rin to lower her drink and look at them completely. She turned her body to face them properly and they approached her wearily.

"Three on one now? You know, this still doesn't count as a good strategy," Rin exclaimed, bring her free hand out of its pocket.

Unknowingly to her, her back was facing the pothole she had nearly fallen into.

Naruto and Ino smirked, whereas Shino with his hands in his pockets simply lowered his head in an illusion that he was joining the trio with a grin.

"Who knows," Naruto exclaimed. "It was Ino-chan's idea. We're gonna take you on together this time, as a team."

"So no tricks then?" Rin raised an eyebrow.

"Nope," Ino replied, shifting her head slightly. "That's why this plan is going to work."

"You can't take on all three of us at the same time," Shino stated, voice low.

"Oh… you're so sure of yourselves," Rin shook her beverage a couple of times and shrugged indifferently. "Last one. It's empty… that means my break is over." Tossing the empty carton aside, the woman slipped her hands into her pockets and stepped towards them, seeing them all shift uncomfortably. The sight had her smirk. "Time to take it up a notch…"

Crouching low, the three Genin sprang into action and charged at her at once. Rin shifted into a casual stance with her hands still in her pockets and her eyes carefully locked onto them. Her eyes narrowed somewhat when she saw something off about the way they ran.

"_A direct attack? Something's not right. They wouldn't just…"_ She didn't have much time to contemplate when all of a sudden she heard what she first thought was the sound of an angry swarm of bees approaching. Eyes widening a bit, she looked behind her and spotted a cloud of beetles rocket up from the hole behind her. The insects flooded the air and began to circulate on mass, the stream seemingly endless. _"So that's their game!"_ She looked back towards the trio, mainly at the Aburame controlling the insects, the three of them splitting up so that they could corner her in the center, with the bugs behind her and filling the sky above her so she couldn't escape.

"_I can still go through them though,"_ Rin smirked and prepared to rush at Naruto coming at her from the middle of the split formation. However, just as she was reaching back for a kunai, she was suddenly hit by something invisible and heavy.

The moment she felt it, her body froze up and her grip went unbelievably slack, the woman's fingers dropping the knife she had managed to draw before the attack's impact. Arms moving by themselves, her body twisted and she coughed out a surprised yelp when she was sent staggering by an unseen force. Caught completely by surprise, her eyes darted left and right, attempting to assess the problem and to find the sniper responsible.

"W-What in the world?" Rin's eyes then shot to her far right, where at the edge of the woods she spotted Ino kneeling down on the ground, her hands extended in a technique specific hand seal, which was directed right at the now frozen kunoichi. The woman saw the blonde Genin smirk, indicating that her technique was a success.

"_Shinranshin no Jutsu,"_ Ino exclaimed.

Rin was just about to comment on the diversion when she was inevitably swamped by the swarm of insects. The cloud of bugs diverged on her in one group and covered her in a sea of black. Within seconds, the kunoichi was swamped and staggering around uselessly, unable to remove the bugs as they started to rapidly drain her of her chakra. Several seconds later, Naruto came barreling at her from ahead and with a yell, slammed a flying kick straight into her chest, knocking her flat over.

The kunoichi crashed to the ground, her chakra still being drained by the beetles crawling over her entire body, while Naruto knelt on top of her, his foot pressed into her breast bone as he grinned down at her surprised expression. She was more mildly surprised then ever when she managed to choke up a response.

"Those were…?" the Jonin began to speak before seeing the Shino and Ino that had charged at her with Naruto walk into view, standing on either side of the jinchuriki sitting on top of her. The boy nodded in response to her incomplete question and snapped his fingers, the two of them vanishing into puffs of smoke.

"Shadow Clones transformed into my teammates," Naruto exclaimed, and with that thought in mind he reached down with his left hand towards her belt and ripped the bells from her possession, the bugs still crawling all over her and mummifying her in insects, preventing her from moving. They had already sucked enough chakra out of her system to effectively paralyze her and because Naruto was a friend, they stayed away, while a cloud of more of the little insects hovered around them.

Naruto dangled the two bells over her eyes so that she could see them. "I'm going to give these to them."

"To them?" Rin looked up when she saw the real Ino and Shino step into view, both of them standing on either side of their friend. "You're… not going to fight over them?"

"There's no need," the real Shino exclaimed, hands in his pockets.

"We all knew that there was something more to this test. I mean, who would be stupid enough to fall for an assignment where the main objective was a straight out attempt to break up the team?" Ino grinned, with Naruto nodding his head and bringing the bells around and dropping them into Shino's hand.

"Iruka-sensei said that the team we were put into would be the squad that we would work with and fight alongside until our times as Genin are up," the jinchuriki explained, recalling the lecture before their teams were allocated. "When on a mission, our teammates will be the only ones we could count on."

"So how can you break up a team that's already been officially allocated practically and on paper?" Ino said, catching the bell tossed by Shino and dangling it. "Two bells? I thought that was a little bit strange. So then when I considered the alternative, a pass or fail task designed for _**all**_ three of us, I knew right then and there that the entire team was given the very same objective; both bells. Putting that into perspective, it doesn't matter how many items there are, but on a mission the entire team works towards the same goal. It's share-and-share all around."

"The plan was simple," Shino began, glasses flashing. "Naruto's transformed clones would distract you, presenting you with the illusion that we were planning to take you head on for a second time, as a group… a simple strategy that other Genin would probably think of in a similar situation. But that frontal assault was simply to draw your attention away while I used the tunnels Ino had created in her previous trap to navigate my insects through. At the same time I stood by her in the shadows while she hit you from your blind spot when you were unfocused and surrounded. If you had somehow broken out of the encirclement, then I would have backed her up"

"Once you were hit with enough insects that effectively drained you of most of your chakra, Naruto would then be strong enough to tackle you and hold you down as you are now," Ino finished, giving her a wide grin. "And that completes the circle of life."

"Dattebayo!" Naruto grinned and stuck his tongue out at her. "That's for head butting me! How'd you like that?"

"I have to admit, you guys are something else. Really," Rin smiled sweetly up at them with her eyes closing. "But do you three really believe you succeeded? Do you really think that cooperating as a team just as you were supposed to and using all of your combined strengths and wits, to take down a shinobi many leagues ahead of you, will allow you to pass just like _that_?" They all nodded, causing the kunoichi to giggle when she opened her eyes, her smile slowly transforming into a smirk. "Do you think it's enough?"

Shino's eyes widened when he finally received the feedback from his insects on the chakra he was draining from her. "No way!"

All three of them jumped when her body exploded into a cloud of white smoke, the fog enveloping all of them and the Jonin being replaced by a log. Naruto was stunted and he rose to his feet, looking around wildly and wondering what the hell had happened. Several seconds later, all three Genin backed up into each other when the fumes of white smoke that had dispersed grew into a smothering wall of white, which circled them. They young team fund themselves in the eye of the hurricane when leaves whipped around them and Shino's insects quickly returned to their host once they had finished draining the chakra from the substitute.

Shino and Ino looked down at the bells that they were holding and they both vanished into puffs of smoke.

"It was a trick!" Ino cried out, drawing a kunai.

"She led us into a trap of her own," Shino stated, his insects wafting off of his hands like flames.

"Damn it…" Naruto growled, also taking a stance alongside his friends.

"_**Do you SERIOUSLY believe you are ready to be Genin… to be a TEAM?"**_ the woman's voice suddenly boomed in, amplified by a hundred times, making all three of them literally curl up timidly. They shimmied back all they could, but their backs were already pressed against one another. _**"Do you think that you can survive out there, in the real world, on a real mission, where the stakes are at their highest and death is almost a certainty? Do you truly believe that you will, against all odds, be able to COMPLETE the mission?"**_

Naruto gulped and nodded, all their eyes darting around through the smoke, wondering where their sensei could be.

She had them all locked in a vortex, a genjutsu that felt more real then fake, as their sense of awareness was on full. The winds were fierce and the temperature had quickly plummeted from a warm morning breeze to the equivalent of a frozen wasteland. On top of that, the entire scene became dark, with the trio becoming engulfed in a storm of anger and malevolence, their clothes whipping on the tearing winds with grass, dust and leaves flying about. The twister's ferocity increased substantially and the smoke became thicker and thicker.

"Y-Yes…"

"_**Will you be able to fight together, protect one another, and even DIE together?"**_ her voice came in again, louder and riding on another fierce gust of wind.

"Yes…" Ino whimpered.

"_**ARE YOU MY TEAM?"**_

"Yes…" Shino also gulped, terrified beyond belief.

She was going to kill them. They knew it.

"_**ALL OF YOU! SAY IT! ARE YOU TEAM SEVEN!"**_ Her last call was the loudest, her voice shaking the earth at their feet.

"YES!" They all cried out at once, frozen in fear.

All of a sudden, the wall of smoke in front of Naruto exploded and a terrifying demon only seen in a child's nightmares came charging at him. The white faced beast with horns roared out with a lion's call when it lunged and all three teens cried out, even Shino. The fiend came to hover just millimeters away from Naruto's face, a kunai visibly descending towards them, intent on cutting them down all at once.

But the monster stopped.

The winds stopped and the shaking stopped.

Seconds upon appearing from within the mists, the white face vanished, along with the smoke surrounding the group. The area cleared of all fog in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing but the slightly damaged _Training Field_, the three wooden stumps and three terrified teens staring unblinkingly up at Rin, who was now standing right in front of the jinchuriki.

Scowling at first, the woman then smiled sweetly.

"You pass."

It would have been considered dry luck if none of them wet their pants in that instance. Thankfully, none of them did. But the hilarity of the whole piece was that both Ino and Shino were hugging Naruto for dear life, the entirety of the Genin element of Team 7 looking up fearfully at the woman as she straightened her posture, hands on her hips and a beaming smile on her face.

"W-Wha…?" Ino whimpered.

"I said… you all pass," Rin giggled and tilted her head down at them. "You guys really showed me something else out here today; that you were all more then worthy of being Genin." She raised her head a little and turned her gaze skywards. "I first thought that you guys would act like stupid kids and come at me senselessly, without a care in the world about your own well being or your teammates. You tried testing me first… a fact I gathered from when you transformed into Anko and engaged me directly." She nodded towards Naruto, and then towards Shino. "You also attempted to help him out in your own way, but that still wasn't enough to get you through. However, once you all started pitching in, achieved that appropriate balance of skill and wit, and combined it all into a well combed strategy, in the end… all three of you got my clone."

"Wait… so… if _that_ was a clone…" Naruto pointed at her, then all over the place, all three teens still hugging each other awkwardly. "Then where the heck were you?"

"I was sitting behind the tree stump where all our bags were. I didn't move an inch all morning," Rin giggled, seeing the looks of bewilderment on their faces.

"_Kami… it was just her clone and she was __**that**__ strong?" _Ino thought, completely overwhelmed, _"That means… we're_ _gonna need to get stronger if we ever hope to take down someone as tough as her in the future."_

Eventually, all three kids saw the positions they were in and immediately stepped back upon realizing they were still attached. Blushing in embarrassment, they cleared their throats, adjusted their uniforms and reasserted themselves before the kunoichi in their preferred, cool shinobi outlooks. Seriously, the sissy embrace of terror they were locked in beforehand did not help their characters out at all, but Rin still thought it was quite sweet of them.

A team was like a family after all, albeit a bit dysfunctional.

"So… we pass," Shino murmured, looking up at the woman who nodded. "Then could you tell us what the point of the bells was?"

"Oh… that was just to see if you three would end up fighting each other over them to secure the spots for yourselves, and not for your team," Rin pulled the bells from around her waist and pocketed them. "Had you done that, I would have failed you the moment the sun hit its highest point." She looked up towards the sky, where she judged the sun's current position before turning towards them again. "It'll be ten o'clock in a bit. Good. That means there's plenty of time for me to submit my evaluation of Team 7 over to the Hokage."

"So… we pass?" Naruto asked, grinning widely.

"That means we're ninja now, right?" Ino also exclaimed, approaching the woman with a hopeful look.

Rin smiled and nodded. "Yup. It was all part of the game; though I never expected to get to this stage." With that said she opened her eyes and gave them all a considerate gaze. "I had to be sure that the three of you meant every word of what you said; that you were all a team supporting one another and that you wouldn't give up, no matter what. Forgive me for the way I acted before, I'm not normally like that. I'm actually quite tame."

"_**That**__ was tame?" _Naruto stared at the woman in disbelief, rubbing his head when memories of his brief spar with her flooded back in. _"I can still see __**two**__ of her, God dammit!"_

Rin giggled when she saw their expressions and put her hands together, holding them up to her cheek. "It may have been a test, but I confess it was fun scaring you kids like that, you should have seen your faces (giggle)!"

"_**She is so scary…"**_ The three of them thought at the same time, seeing her shockingly sweet smile directed at them and for the second time since meeting her, the haunting ANBU demon mask floating beside her head, grinning sinisterly.

Eventually, that cloud of menacing intent vanished from around the kunoichi, who readjusted her shirt and turned to her side. When she did, she looked out towards the three stumps in the middle of the clearing, her gaze softening somewhat. The Genin standing beside her saw her attention directed elsewhere and waited patiently in silence, knowing there was going to be something more to this whole thing, as it was clear she wasn't done yet

Rin lowered her head and glanced back at them.

"Naruto, you remember what I said to you after you approached me when you were transformed, that during my first test on _my_ team one of my comrades ended up tied to a post. Well… he wound up that way because he neglected his friends and attacked our sensei with only _his_ best interests in mind, not taking into account the overall risks of that tactic." This earned an affirmative nod from the jinchuriki, indicating to her that he was listening. "That was just a foolish mistake he made. You see… if that had been a real mission, his entire team could have either been killed or captured. Fortunately for us, we were under training conditions and instead of being killed, our team would have been sent back to the academy. But our sensei was kind enough to give the remaining two one last chance and Obito had to watch from the sidelines to learn the hard way of what the test really meant."

Naruto stared, with a deep feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew what was coming up next.

"Well… when Kakashi and I eventually got the bells, we didn't do it to help ourselves… we did it to help our teammate," Rin said with a smile and turned back to the three attentive Genin. "We were a team… a family. You see, there are certain rules and codes that govern the lives of shinobi; that in our line of duty the mission always comes first. In the eyes of the rest of the world shinobi are seen as merely tools that obey and follow orders. They are expected to be cold, heartless killing machines that don't care about their comrades and treat them as though they were expendable."

The three teens' expressions fell slightly at realization of this, the rookies slinking back a little at the sad smile Rin gave them. The woman however, managed to maintain a tearless face as she continued on with her speech.

"But we are still human," Rin exclaimed, closing her eyes. "No matter how conditioned you can be and no matter how used to death you can become, you cannot ignore the fact that we are still humans embodied with emotions and feelings. Our teammates mean more to us then just the mere scope of the mission. Obito's views became as such, immediately after that first test, while Kakashi didn't officially recognize us as close friends till after the _Third Great Shinobi War_, when Obito was killed. In the end, my entire team viewed each other as the closest of companions, comrades we can trust the most, and our dearest friends." She opened her eyes again, showing them to be shimmering. "Before my teammate was killed in battle, sacrificing himself for his friends' lives, he said this… 'Those who break the rules and codes of the shinobi world are considered trash. But those who don't take care of their comrades… are even lower than trash.'"

The members of Team 7 looked up in astonishment upon hearing her words and met her brightened smile. It took a bit for it to sink in, but eventually, all of them were smiling. Ino was bawling with joy, Shino was able to crack the smallest and briefest of smiles and Naruto was absolutely enthralled by what he had heard.

Looking at the kunoichi now, underneath the light of the sun, he saw how much more he had to learn and do to be able to accomplish his goal.

He smiled. _"She… really is a cool shinobi…"_

"Well… your test is finished," Rin gave them all the thumbs up. "Tomorrow the four of us will be starting our first real mission as Team 7. Meet me back here at eight o'clock in the morning, sharp!"

Shaking off their bewilderment and the delight at finally being confirmed a team, the three of them smiled up at their instructor and nodded.

"Yes, sensei!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>There's an incredibly important point why Naruto is wearing _that_ outfit now (Yes, it's like Lee's), which you will find out much later. In the fight he will get into in the foreseeable future, his baggy uniform would have gotten him killed, whereas this one will save his life.


	9. The Mad Job

**NARUTO**

**Destiny Breaker**

_The Mad Job_

**Five Weeks Later…**

**The **_**Land of Hot Water**_**…**

**Nighttime, outside of the **_**Hot Spring Village…**_

"Hope you enjoyed your meal, sir. Come again soon," the chef of a roadside stall exclaimed, biding farewell to his parting customer.

The patron gladly paid for his meal, depositing two gold coins on the serving table beside his empty bowl of ramen and left with his hands in his pockets, a sated stomach and a satisfied smile on his face. It had been a pretty cold night, so a stop off at the stall had been more than just a welcome relief.

A nice hot bowl with a side of tea was a great way to warm up, particularly on a cold night such as this one.

The man was a Yugakure shinobi, as indicated by the black headband he wore with the silver plate that had three diagonal lines drawn down it. He had silver hair tied back into a ponytail, brown eyes with a scar on his lower right cheek, and purple eyes. His outfit consisted of black slacks, sandals, gloves, a long sleeve shirt, and a grey vest with six pouches close to the waistline. He also had duel short-blade scythes with a chain linking them at the handles at his side, signifying that he was probably quite proficient with the weapons in question.

After all, he had to be if he was wandering on his own, many miles away from his village on a mission.

Sighing as he started down the wide open, empty dirt road for the second time that night, with a river running directly adjacent to him, the man reached into his pouch and pulled out a scroll. Unfurling it, he reread the mission statements that were inscribed on it, with reference pictures and biographies next to each of the names.

The main target on his list, which was at the very top, was the most wanted rogue shinobi from his village, an individual going by the name Hidan. From what he had been told and had heard, the man was incredibly dangerous, aggressive and psychotic, and if encountered needed to be approached with caution. Details on his real abilities were skeptical, so the bio didn't list much other then his height, weight, appearance, serial number and a picture they had provided.

A note was also inscribed at the bottom warning the shinobi to look out for people walking around with black cloaks with red cloud patterns.

There was also a secondary target directly below Hidan. This individual was his current objective and the main reason he was all the way out here; a ruthless street killer, with no known face or name. Nobody has seen or heard of him, but corpses have been turning up all around the _Hot Spring Village_ where he was currently patrolling, all of them shinobi, samurai and warriors from different regions.

If there was a connection between the street killer and Hidan, then he was going to find it.

The Chunin frowned.

"_The problem is… finding out the identity of the murderer. I won't know who it is unless they show themselves,"_ the shinobi thought and looked up, a little bit more concerned about his predicament. "This is going to be one long night."

He heard a rustling from the brush nearby and abruptly stopped in his tracks. Glancing to his right, he unexpectedly saw a cat pop out from the reeds and stroll out into the middle of the road. Getting a good look at it when it stopped right in his path, the shinobi saw that it was an Egyptian Mau with a beautiful spotted coat and bright green eyes that shone like the moon. A gentle breeze rustled the reeds and long grass around the nearby stream, with the eyes of both entities meeting.

Seeing that it had a collar of some sorts around its neck, the shinobi blinked and looked around for the owner. When he couldn't find anybody in sight, except for the stall he had just left several hundred meters back down the road, he turned towards the cat again. The creature was staring up at him intently, trying to determine whether the man was friend or foe.

"Hey there little guy… are you lost?" The shinobi smiled and knelt down, holding his hand out to it.

The cat meowed at him before quickly scampering off, running down the road.

The Yugakure shinobi followed it with his eyes up towards a willow standing beside the track, its reed like branches hanging close to the ground and waving on the wind. When he saw the cat stop beside it, he also noticed somebody standing behind the wall of leaves.

His sense of danger was immediately set off and in response, he frowned deeply and rose to his feet to stand at full height, as he noticed that the stranger was staring at him rather unpleasantly.

The person wore varying orange robes and sashes of a monk, with white gauze wrapped firmly around the legs and feet, with tied, flat padded sandals. He couldn't exactly make out the individual's face, but the height and build of the person suggested that it was a teenage girl around fifteen years of age. Through the shadows of his dimly lit surroundings though, he could see that she had a shaved head with odd markings on it, and whatever hair she did have at the back of her head, tied into a long flowing ponytail.

A flash of metal at the person's side further clued him onto the fact that she was armed. It was a strange sword with a thick, curved blade and a handle built for only a single-handed grip.

The cat he had encountered circled the stranger once, before sitting itself down beside the willow, and stared patiently at the shinobi now glaring down the newcomer.

"Can I help you, ms?" the man asked, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face.

The young lady didn't respond.

She instead lowered herself into a wide stance, the sword in her hand clicking as she held it back and extended her free hand forward.

The shinobi quickly detected hostilities and made a grab for his scythes.

"If it's a fight you're looking for, you picked the wrong shinobi to mess with," the Chunin replied, unclasping his weapons and drawing them. He spun them in his grip, stretching the chain out and taking a stance of his own. "My name is Ryu Hashimoto from Yugakure, and I don't have time to be playing around with children."

The young teenager frowned, her lips twitching.

"Trivial names and titles mean nothing in the face of my skills," she stated, her voice soft yet carrying a wisp of venom in them. "You wear the headband of your village and carry a weapon of a killer; that's all I need to know to identify you as my next opponent."

Ryu scoffed and raised his scythe blade above his head. "You're crazy. Don't go picking fights you can't win."

The woman smiled slyly. "I'll win…"

The shinobi smirked back at her. "Don't count on it."

The Chunin sprung into action, charging without question and grabbing the chain in the middle of his weapon. He spun the dominant scythe at the end, creating a flashing, buzz saw like effect at the speed the melee weapon was rotating at. He gritted his teeth angrily and with a roar he lunged at the girl, his weapon spinning around him in a series of flashy strikes.

However, the young teenager remained calm. With just a simple, brisk step forward the sword she wielded came lashing out in a single, fluent motion. A gust of wind shot out from it and over the entire area, rustling the leaves on the willow and the long grass beside the river. The stream's natural flow literally stopped for the briefest of moments, before continuing its path once the blast of wind subsided.

The Chunin staggered past his target, his weapon going slack when he glared back over his shoulder, to see his opponent standing behind him with her sword extended in front of her.

Furrowing his brow, he spun around to reengage her again. But just as he was raising his weapon to strike, his entire body unexpectedly froze up. Ryu's expression widened in horror when excruciating pain overcame him and blood began spilling out of every orifice on his face and body. Even his flesh began to spill sweat and blood out heavily.

The weapon he carried dropped to the ground and a split second later, he keeled over, falling flat into the shallows of the river beside the road.

Sprawled out with his blood joining the flow of the stream, the fight he was challenged to was over before he even knew what hit him.

He was dead.

The cat sitting beside the tree meowed pleasantly and began licking her paw, while its owner sheathed her sword back onto her back and smirked. She licked her lips in approval.

"That's yet one more villain, intent on committing harm, removed from the face of the earth," she exclaimed happily, with a hint of deep pleasure in her voice. Her tone carried no remorse whatsoever following the gruesome act she had just committed.

* * *

><p><strong>The very next day…<strong>

**Konohagakure…**

It had been close to a couple of months since Team 7 was formed and already the members of the squad were beginning to feel the strain of being an active shinobi of their village.

Well, not Rin of course.

The Jonin had first thought that being a leader of a team of snot nosed, academy graduates would have been the ultimate chore for her and not to mention a real disappointment had they not passed her test with flying colors. It was the prospects of actually having to nurture them that had put her off from taking a team in the first place, since she figured she wouldn't have been able to handle the responsibilities or the stress. However, now that she had a team to coach and to look out for, and after overseeing many of their missions thus far, the whole deal was unexpectedly having the exact opposite effect she had previously thought she would be having.

Adding up all of the month's past events, she shockingly discovered that she had been having the time of her life, tormenting the hell out of her three little Genin with the odd jobs that came through to them in the form of D-Rank missions.

She particularly enjoyed handing out the most meaningless of assignments to them.

In her universe, life was superb.

Already over the past several weeks she had been running the team they had already completed a gob load of missions that were done and dusted on the very day the assignments were handed out, on schedule, right down to the last minute, and then some. Their first mission had their whole concepts of adventures outside of the village's walls thrown right back into their stunned faces when Hiruzen Sarutobi personally presented them with a list of chores that even academy students could do, if you could motivate them to do them. The thing was, the teen members of the so called Team 7 had been expecting to hit the big stuff right off the bat; fighting mercenaries, battling enemy shinobi and rescuing hostages.

But what they got instead; was fighting the pains of hard work, battling the stubbornness of pesky dogs and rescuing cats from trees.

That very first so-called mission had them all chopping wood and gathering coal for a local blacksmith's furnaces. With Rin standing on the sidelines overseeing their progress, she watched as her three kids chopped away with axes, mumbling and groaning their complaints with almost every log they split. The ones who did the most complaining were Naruto and Ino, whereas Shino quietly and consistently questioned the true purpose behind the chore they were subjected to. It was especially funny to the woman to see Ino fussing over a log that just would not cut and she nearly wound up knocking Naruto out when she tried slicing through the stubborn stump with wide swings.

Eventually, they piled up such a load for the business owner that their very first mission as a team was considered a smashing success. Rin felt so invigorated that went up to each of her team members for a high five, but all she got were scowls of disapproval.

Moving on through the next missions over the next several days, Team 7 found themselves mowing God awfully big ass lawns, pulling weeds, trimming hedges, restocking the storage areas at various convenient stores, cleaning public toilets (much to the chagrin of all members of the team), sharpening weapons at the blacksmiths, repainting fences, pulling carts and babysitting.

Rin found the methods used by each of her students in helping old folks cross the streets rather interesting, when one of the missions given to them requested that they take the elders from the _Konoha Retirement Home_ out for some fresh air. Ino performed her job gracefully and was incredibly polite to her client, Shino was just as labored as the old person he was escorting, and Naruto went about his task like he had a wasp's sting up his backside. The jinchuriki literally decided to carry his fare around the entire day, making quite a public display in the shopping districts.

At least he was enthusiastic about that one.

To sum it all up, Rin could accurately account for each of her students' reactions for each of the missions. Overall, Ino was frazzled at the end of each day, Shino quietly brooded in the corner with his hands in his pockets, not saying a word and with a proverbial raincloud hovering over his head, and Naruto would attempt to show his boundless enthusiasm and energy during the missions, but would eventually end up mortified at the conclusion of the less anticipated jobs.

It was at the end of the latest one that Rin was able to see the full results of over four weeks worth of backbreaking labor.

Leaning against the wall reading one of the hot spring brochures she had taken from the local news agency, the Jonin leader of Team 7 looked up when she heard a metallic clank, followed by a series of loud yelling and mutterings coming from one of the cubicles.

The squad was once again assigned toilet cleaning duties, with each of the team members given one of the twelve blocks alongside a fence next to a warehouse site, and would work their way up from there. After close to a couple of hours they were on their last ones, and Naruto and Ino couldn't have been more mortified at the states some of them were in. Shino didn't express his disappointment and bewilderment through anything other then the thoroughness of his job. You could tell he was upset by his more labored pace.

However, Naruto and Ino made their remarks clear and concise.

Rin watched as the wooden door to the second to last cubicle burst open and Naruto came out gasping for air, covered in loo residue, while at the same time removing the white cloth covering his face. Clutching the mop he held onto tightly, he stepped out into the fresh open air and pointed into the small room he had been confined to.

"THEY WERE EXPECTING US!" Naruto shouted, horrified and dumbstruck at the same time, with his body trembling in frustration. "It has '_Hello Naruto, have a nice day' _written above the toilet paper roller in… in… GOD! I don't even want to know in what!"

Seconds later, Ino also came barreling out of her cubicle at the end of the line, dancing on her toes feverishly and looking as though she had just seen a ghost. Ripping her mask off, she pointed through the door she had jumped through. "There's a family of raccoons living in there! There's no way I'm clearing them out!"

Rin blinked and lowered the articles she was reading, watching as Naruto approached Ino's assigned block to assess the situation for himself. The moment he peeked in, he was hissed at by an aggravated animal and he immediately leapt away from the entrance. Half-laughing and half-shocked, he pointed back at the latrine while Ino stood several feet away for safety.

"Shit she's right. There are raccoons in there," the boy laughed. Reaching under his arm warmer's sleeve, he yanked out a kunai with an explosive tag wrapped around it. Turning around, he took aim. "Take this you stupid cats!"

Just as he was in the process of throwing, he felt his arm stop completely from a powerful force holding him back. Fighting against it for a few seconds, the boy then looked up to see Rin smiling down at him, clearly amused by his antics.

"Hold it, Naruto," she exclaimed, disarming him and taking the knife into her own hand. She released him a moment later. "That's _not_ how we handle things in Konoha." Reaching behind her, she then pulled out a net and a catching bag, handing both items to the jinchuriki and the Yamanaka standing side-by-side. The two of them looked at the flimsy items they were carrying for several seconds and back up at their sensei. "_This_ is how we handle things in Konoha."

"You're kidding, right?" the spiky haired Genin asked in disbelief.

"Sensei, the mother is the size of a greyhound! I don't think this will be enough," Ino held up the bag which could be compared to the size of the shirt she wore.

"Oh, come on, guys. Lighten up a little," Rin chuckled, placing her hands on her hips and looking between them intently. "Believe me, it could be a whole lot worse…"

At that moment, the door to the third to last public cubicle opened, with the three members of Team 7 standing outside turning around to see their other companion step into view. When they did, Naruto and Ino's jaws dropped when they saw the condition Shino was in.

Before he stepped into his last block for the day, he had been relatively fine; fresh as a daisy, clean, hair combed and glasses flashy as ever. He had been all good. But what they saw was nothing like the pre-packaged condition he started the day with. He was covered in brown crap, green slime and toilet paper, on top of several other new additions to his uniform. With the mask from his face removed, he held up his soiled mop, and had a bunch of cockroaches making his hair his home.

Needless to say, he couldn't have looked more dishonored.

Naruto and Ino were blue in the face the instant they saw Shino glance at them through his wet and filth covered state. After a few seconds of reflection, the heads of the teenagers then all turned to glare up at their sensei, who giggled and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"It just got worse… didn't it…"

"_**No shit,"**_Naruto, Ino and Shino replied in unison.

"Point made," Rin replied, placing her hands on her hips and smiling down at them assertively. "Anyway, once you're done here, we can move on to our next assignment."

"Sure… with a due sense of exhaustion and dread," Ino muttered, while Naruto hunched over in conceded defeat.

"Define… _our_…"

Reaching into her pouch, the woman pulled out the scroll she had been given by the Hokage and unfurled it, checking the list of things-to-do. Running it over, she skipped the first three jobs they performed and moved on to the fourth one. She was unable to hold back the look of joy and the grin that forced its way onto her face.

"Oh goody, it's an oldie!" Rin lowered the list and directed her gaze at her exasperated students. "Once we've finished here, we'll head round to Mia's place to feed Fluffy…"

Upon hearing this, Naruto, Shino and Ino's eyes all widened at once and they looked up at their teacher with horror-struck expressions.

"No… NO…" Ino cried out, tears quickly brimming at her eyes as she fell to her knees.

"Not Fluffy!" Naruto shouted, unable to comprehend why anyone in this sane world would want to have a pet as evil, manipulative and dangerous as…

OOO

"Sweet little Fluffy," Rin exclaimed in delight, standing before the garden gate leading into the backyard of the estate where their next assignment was living comfortably. After looking over the bamboo divider, she then turned back to her three Genin to assign them their tasks, only to see all of them standing some ways away from her.

While she was on the front lawn of the property, the three teenagers were on the other side of the street, huddled together for protection.

Unfortunately, in face of their teacher and their assignments, there was absolutely _no_ safety in numbers.

"Come on over guys, don't be a bunch of chickens," Rin breathed out, holding up a bag of cat food and a glass of milk, shaking the two items in emphasis. "Look, just in and out, no biggy. You can worry about scuffs and scratches afterwards."

"She tried to eat us!" Ino shouted.

"She tore up my _new_ black jumpsuits," Naruto yelled, pointing at the blue spandex he was now wearing with the same orange scarf, arm and leg warmers. "I ran out of black!"

"She ate my insects when I tried to defend myself," Shino muttered, his face turning pale when he remembered how his old friends that had once inhabited his body were ruthlessly massacred. "Poor Konoka, Kohako, Koneko… Koko… Komoharu…" His head fell somewhat, joining tears of anguish. "Komura… Konahoka… (sniff)… KUROKO!" The boy then bellowed out, startling some of the villagers passing them by.

With Ino quickly coming to comfort the bawling teenager, Naruto carefully looked them over, and after several moments of contemplation, saw that neither one of his friends were fit or in the right states of mind for this next task. He actually sympathized with Shino for a moment, seeing him completely distraught over his insects, and after receiving a reassuring smile from his kunoichi teammate, he turned towards the property. Putting up a brave face, the blonde jinchuriki then quickly marched across the road towards their teacher, who was still waiting for any one of them to come and take the items out of her hands.

When Naruto stopped in front of her and held out his hands expectantly, Rin nodded to him and dropped the big bag and the bottle of milk into his waiting palms. The whisker marked teen stepped passed her and faced the gate with sweat dripping down his face.

"I guess it's up to me to carry on the burden." Taking in a deep breath, the boy exhaled a long drag and turned towards his teacher, extending his hand to hers. "Wish me lu-" Realizing he was talking to air, he then looked across the road to the other side about sixty meters out, where he saw all of his teammates watching him, including his teacher, with Ino waving to him.

"Good luck Naru-kun," Ino exclaimed, her arm still draped over a miserable looking Shino. Rin smiled pleasantly across towards the boy and gave him a nod of encouragement, attempting to convey that nothing could possibly go wrong.

However, with the immediate distance set out between his teammates and his team leader, Naruto was certain that there was everything wrong with this picture.

Gulping, Naruto muttered about how useless his companions were before turning back towards the gate. Letting out a sigh, he took in another deep breath and gently unhooked the latch, and strolled on in. When the gate closed behind him, utter silence fell.

Visitors, at their own peril, have been told to completely disregard the warning sign pasted just next to the gate…

"_Warning: This house is guarded by a cat."_

The entirety of Team 7 waited with eager anticipation as their teammate bravely set foot on what could only be described as no-man's-land beyond that wooden door. At first, things seemed to be going fine. The villagers were carrying on with their duties no problem and the birds were singing cheerfully. Rin established the fact with her other students that things would be okay, with a bright smile and a comforting pat on her two Genins' shoulders. She was so proud of them.

Even Ino and Shino were beginning to see a lighter side to the day.

This mission was going to be a sure winner…

Right up to the point when they heard Naruto's cry of terror and what could only be compared to a Puma's roar following shortly afterwards. Passers stopped in their tracks to look towards the property in utter surprise and bewilderment, where everybody saw the trees protruding from the backyard rustle and lash about violently, and items of all sorts being flung randomly into the air as the person caught inside of the killing zone made for the exit. Team 7 watched with owlish expressions as the cat food bag was thrown over, followed by the empty glass of milk. A split second later, Naruto came scampering up the side.

He was halfway over the fence when something grabbed his leg and with a split second look of pure horror, was pulled back down. He screamed bloody murder as a beast of unknown size and origins, gnawed and lashed at him on the other side of the fence, completely out of sight.

On the other hand, the audio was loud and clear.

"OH, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!" the boy's scream echoed around the entire neighborhood. "SOMEBODY CALL ANBU! AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH! GOD! HELP ME!"

Ino and Shino paled significantly, before looking up at their sensei who was also looking a bit pale herself.

"Should we help him?"

The woman in charge of them responded by reaching back into her pouch and pulling out a carton of milk. Opening it, she began drinking it by the mouthful until it was halfway down. Sighing when she stopped, she lowered it and rubbed the back of her head.

"Naruto-kun's smart… he can find a way out just fine…" Rin replied rather unconvincingly. The sounds of his continued screams rang out, forcing the rest of the color out of the three ninjas' faces. The villagers standing around quickly resumed their daily lives, whistling tunes to cover up the yelling and screaming coming from the back of the home.

The Jonin kunoichi took another swig of milk.

"Just fine," Rin repeated nervously.

Shino and Ino seriously doubted that…

OOO

**Sometime later…**

**The Hokage's Office…**

"Did I mention that I hate cats," Naruto frowned, eye twitching as he glared at a bewildered Hokage and a stunned Iruka sitting beside the elder.

Had they known a Genin would have come back to them so fucked up after a simple D-Rank mission of feeding a common house pet, the pair sitting behind the mission table would have seriously considered moving that _particular_ task up to C and tap on a new price tag to boot. Hell, maybe even a B for the more seasoned shinobi of the village, seeing as how the rest of Team 7 was so utterly traumatized.

For the time being, the staff members of the mission room were subjected to staring at a very pissed off and battle scarred Naruto, who looked as though he had just been through a walk-in-blender. His teammates stood on either side of him with their sensei on the far right, all of them also looking dreadful and nervous in the face of their comrade's emotional and physical condition.

Naruto had scars running all along his back and front, with his face transformed into a tic-tack-toe playing board of red lines crisscrossing all over the place. You could also throw out his blue spandex uniform now, because that was utterly ruined. Any hope or suggestions of patching up his newly purchased clothing would have been immediately rejected, since the material wouldn't have lasted long and he needed a change anyway.

The first thing he needed was treatment and he had already forwarded that request when Doctor Emi Hyuuga, the same one to diagnose him for his arm problem, came in to patch him up.

The stunningly gorgeous woman wearing the flowery kimono pulled him over to the side to apply the 'anti-venom' and disinfectant to his wounds, while he stood with his arms folded and his eyes tightly shut in a deep scowl. There was no way he was going to let this day go that easily and he was going to make sure the Hokage paid up for it.

His teammates were the lucky ones. Rin looked as though she didn't do anything all day, and all Shino and Ino had afflicted upon them was the unmistakable smell of crap.

Naruto was double that and then some.

"When I'm tons better and trained up some more, I'm kicking your ass, oji-san," Naruto muttered, earning a bop on the head from the Hyuuga treating his scratches.

"That's enough out of you young man," Emi exclaimed, her expression remaining stoic as per all other Hyuuga. She shook her head at the amount of damage the boy had taken from what was quite literally a kitten. "If you misbehave, I won't give you a wowwy pop." She attempted to sound childish at the end for good humor, but all that ended up achieving was a deeper frown from her patient.

But that didn't mean the others couldn't laugh, even though Ino's was more sarcastic since she had been in the same boat Naruto had been the last time this job came round. He ended up drawing short straw today, unfortunately.

"It was a Silver Persian and prize winner for most well behaved house pet three years running, how could a little fence sitter hurt you like that?" Iruka asked incredulously upon examining the D-Rank report from all of Team 7's missions for the day, with the last panel filled out with a hazard warning and various obscene comments from the participants of the job.

Rin giggled and rubbed the back of her head. "Well… you see…"

She wasn't given much time to respond.

"It had canines as long as my fingers with talons for claws, how on earth can that monster be considered a prize winner?" Ino yelled out in outrage, allowing her emotions to get the better of her.

"It's cunning, manipulative and ungodly powerful… it lures you into its den like… like a… like a _dingo_ leading along a chicken into a clearing from its hiding spot in the shadows… and then… BAM!" Naruto slammed his hands together, causing a loud clap that had the three Chunin standing by jump at his assessment. "IT FUCKS IT UP THE ASS! OWWW!" He got a Jūken strike to his side from the Hyuuga beside him nursing his arm.

"Language, Naruto," Rin scowled, finding his words extremely filthy for her taste. Shaking her head as the boy whimpered, she rubbed the back of her head again at the troublesome situation and looked down at her other two students, with Ino silently glaring out the window with her arms folded and Shino still staring ahead of him with a passive look in play.

"It is pure evil…" the Aburame murmured, still recalling their last individual encounters with the devil cat.

Seeing that this was going nowhere, the Jonin looked back up at the Hokage to see him and his staff still silently staring at them with varying expressions, while every so often glancing down at the current mission scroll for the D-Rank assignments the squad had gone through.

Admittedly, this assignment was one of many the team had already pulled off, since Rin had been dragging them in day-in and day-out, not just for practice at her own benefit, but also to get her team up the scratch as much as possible.

Believe it or not, but the D-Rank missions did provide them with a moderate form of exercise, what with their constant running around, performing errands, excessive cleaning and such. It also gave them an excellent insight into the concept of work ethics and business dealing skills with the trade-ins and associations with clients. It was perhaps the smallest jobs and errands that gave them the most experience in life, even if most of them were inside the village walls.

However, the entire main body of Team 7, all evidence to the contrary, was pissed and didn't look like they would be satisfied with _another_ D-Rank set of assignments. They had been doing them for five weeks straight and were on the verge of popping. Something needed to be done.

Letting out a sigh, Rin smiled up towards the Hokage, her resolve set. The elder, at that moment, was finishing up signing the mission scroll. The moment he rolled it up and slipped it into the sorted pile, the leader of Team 7 spoke up. "Hokage-sama, I think it's about time I step it up for them."

The elder's hand froze over the next stack of D-Ranked missions and he looked up in surprise, as did the Chunin helping to organize his material and the youngsters of Team 7. When the teens glanced up at Rin's face they saw a fire in her eyes that they had rarely seen in them before, and she grinned when all eyes in the room turned to her.

"Give us a C-Rank mission, something easy and simple for them to cool off on… and then maybe we can do some harder ones later, after I've put them through some drills."

It was this prospect that had an immediate effect on all team members present. Shino's glasses flashed in approval, a grin spread out over Ino's wide-eyed face and Naruto's own expression brightened, his wounds healing at an accelerated rate with life quickly returning to his body. Emi Hyuuga however, saw that it was a lot more than renewed vigor helping him overcome his wounds, but decided to keep the boy's benefactor to herself.

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at Rin's words and removed his pipe. Exhaling fumes, he tapped the tip against his chin while he examined the Jonin, seeing that she was absolutely serious about what she was saying. Iruka was also looking between them anxiously, having not anticipated the woman to open up the deep end to her students so soon, at the same time trying to deduce what was going to happen next.

"This is a big call, Rin," the Hokage breathed out. "It goes against every single shinobi regulation and ranking assessments in the book… and I should know. I wrote most of them."

"Let the Shinobi Council dabble on the minor details," Rin exclaimed, waving a hand. "I'll accept the repercussions. This is _my_ team and _I_ will decide how far they can overstep their boundaries. You cannot expect any less from me since I promised to take good care of them." A more sinister look then crossed her face, her eyes becoming overshadowed by her hair as they closed, and a sweet smile quickly replaced her smirk. At that moment, every able bodied shinobi in the room saw the distinct form of the ANBU demon mask manifest itself directly beside her, this time at a size that took up a whole lot of breathing space in the chamber, and emitted enormous waves of killing intent. "Otherwise… (giggle)… something might happen to a certain somebody's lunch, let's say… a heavy dosage of poison or laxatives maybe. I don't know when, I don't know who, and I don't know where… but it's going to happen to somebody, somewhere, pretty soon, I'm sure."

Her entire team trembled at the sight of her inner demon, including the Chunin and shockingly, the Hokage.

Hiruzen wasn't called _**'The Professor'**_ for being stupid, oh no. He didn't take this job all those years ago without learning one or two things along the way about women, with most of these lessons occurring while accompanying his student Jiraiya on many of his bathhouse excursions. There was no way he was going to be on the receiving end of another woman's wrath, particularly one who wasn't scared of anyone, including him.

Unlike Anko, Rin feared no man or woman of any shape or form. It had to be something she picked up from Minato.

Seeing the ANBU demon mask's eyes flash, Hiruzen then hurriedly dug into the C-Rank mission pile and fished out a scroll. Checking its validity and expiry date he then unfurled it, signed it, and tossed it over to the glaring kunoichi. The moment Rin caught it the demon accompanying her vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Here you are, the easiest one I can afford for you at the moment," the Hokage exclaimed hastily while Rin unrolled it to check for herself, the elder leaning back down on the desk in front of him. "A businessman from Konoha is requesting assistance in the _Hot Spring Village_ in the _Land of Hot Water_. He wants a team of strong, able shinobi to help in the construction of his new bathhouse business over the next couple of weeks." A smile of relief spread across his lips when he noticed the now very happy and eager looking troop of Genin. "In addition to being paid for your services, you are also granted special passes by the owner to test out the new facilities upon its open day. I think that this mission is perfect for you guys, especially after your five weeks of non-stop, manual labor."

"YOSH!" Ino exclaimed, fist pumping. "We finally have a mission that is outside of this village!" _'Not to mention a welcome relief of a hot spa waiting for us at the end of it! HOOSHA!'_ She swore she could feel Sakura's excitement coursing through her.

"This is perfect," Rin smiled in delight, also looking forward to the prospect of a good, long soak at the end of the job. She immediately pocketed the scroll and saluted the Third, conveying her gratitude with a warm smile. Shino also acknowledged the village leaders' good graces with a nod, his sunglasses flashing in the sun peaking through the windows.

"Thanks so much, oji-san!" Naruto jumped about excitedly, but was held down by Emi who was now in the process of bandaging up his most serious of injuries, since the smaller ones were now fading. The boy however couldn't help but continue to hop about, energy renewed. "We won't let you down! We'll come out on top of this one, dattebayo!"

"Glad to see all of you are happy with this," Hiruzen smiled and then waved them out the door. "Now get out of my sight, you lot. You will head out tomorrow early in the morning, as it is at least a day's journey to your destination between stops, so try not to be late and look presentable. It's not everyday the _Land of Hot Water_ receives mission calls from foreign shinobi."

With that said and done, Team 7 began making their way out. Emi held Naruto back for a few more seconds to adjust his bandages before shooing him out, with the jinchuriki thanking her for fixing him up.

"I've never seen sensei woman-handle the Hokage like that, it was brilliant!" Ino giggled, nudging Shino in the arm. "This is gonna be great!"

"I'm very eager about this mission as well," the Aburame nodded back, with Naruto catching up to them at the exit.

On their way out, the squad passed by Team 10 being led into the office by Kakashi Hatake. Ino took her time and abruptly held up her teammates for a few moments to ogle over Sasuke, but was quickly pushed out of the room by Shino strolling closely behind her. The three other Genin waved in their characteristic manners to Team 7 as they departed, and during the crisscrossing procedure over the threshold, Kiba suddenly stopped in his tracks when he noticed Naruto walk by in all his bandaged and bloody glory.

"Holy hell, Naruto," the Inuzuka teen exclaimed incredulously. "Did you get attacked by a bear or something?"

"Not bear… _cat_," the boy replied with a huff. "A very pissed off, very scary and very vicious cat." The jinchuriki then followed after his team members without another word.

Kiba stood perplexed for several moments, but then shrugged off the inconvenience and walked the rest of the way into the room.

Kakashi and Rin stood on the sidelines and watched the brief interactions come and go, before turning towards each other with vacant expressions in play. When they faced each other, the silver haired Jonin nodded to the woman who also tipped a salute to him in kind.

"We can hang out at Ichiraku's when we get back, alright," Rin exclaimed brightly and turned heel to vacate the premises, hands in her pockets in a similar manner to her old teammate.

"Sure…" the other Jonin replied with an eye smile, before proceeding on with the business waiting for him…

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning…<strong>

The members of Team 7 arrived at the gate, on time and ready as ever. Yesterday afternoon had been somewhat of a relief for the entire team, with each and every member having packed themselves for a long trip ahead of them. Their sensei had briefed them on the exact location and the number of days they would be gone for beforehand, so the children had a good idea of what to bring with them. Rin specified their needs and whatever right down to the number of kunai and clothes they should be carrying, showing genuine interest in her team's first real mission outside of Konohagakure.

Constructing a hot spring after all was no joke compared to the daily dish-cleaning D-Rank assignments they were given. It required significant architectural knowledge and a good concept of feng shui, something she was eager to teach her students, since a certain few of them needed to have their hand in some real sense of balance and style.

Speaking of which…

Everyone was looking at Naruto oddly as they stood within the shadow of Konohagakure's _North Gate_, the entire team utterly perplexed by his choice of uniform for the day.

They had been like that ever since he arrived about a minute ago.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched when he saw that everyone in the area had their attention plastered on him, including the two boarder guards inside the checkpoint beside the gate. He made a mental note not to arrive late ever again, as well as to change out his wardrobe for a third time for something other than the spandex.

At his admission, unless they started offering him a more adequate function other than attracting attention, he was going to go back to his orange jumpsuits.

Instead of blue or black, it was red tights today.

"What?" Naruto shouted above the silence. "It wasn't my first choice, okay! That _cat_ _**ruined**_ my last blue one!" He named the cause of his current predicament loudly and clearly, and with a drop of spite laced in with his voice. It was at his hot-headed exclamation that all heads turned away from him and everybody quickly resumed their activities prior to the boy's arrival.

Shrugging, Rin then turned to the road ahead of them again with a small smile. "Okay, we have a long march ahead of us today to get to the _Hot Spring Village_. I'd say it'd take us about eleven hours to get there in between breaks, so that's plenty of time to talk and reflect." She shared a small smile with her Genin. "Well… everybody ready?"

"_**You bet!"**_ Ino and Naruto shouted together, fist pumping, whereas Shino just nodded with his hands in his pockets.

"Alright then. Let's get going," Rin pointed ahead, with Naruto and Ino quickly setting off, and Rin and Shino taking up the rear. The border guards watched them leave with smiles on their faces, mentally wishing the new team the best of luck on their first big adventure out in the wilderness.

It didn't take the young squad too long to be out of firing range of the huge walls surrounding Konoha, by which time nothing eventful occurred. However, the spirits within the group were high and boundless.

Naruto and Ino were thrilled at being outside and were taking all the time they had to drink in their surroundings. New forests, an unknown footpath, new terrain, untouched valleys, it was absolutely splendid. They were breathing in air that hasn't been breathed in by anyone they knew back in the village. Oxygen was all freshly grown out here.

Ino literally had to plant herself to the ground to keep her from dancing. These new environments were nothing like she had ever imagined and they were still in sight of the village.

"Oh! I can't wait to get to the _Hot Spring Village_!" Ino exclaimed, hopping to the side and thumping Naruto in the arm with a good natured elbow. "Our first _real_ mission! It's so exciting! Are you excited, Naru-kun?"

"Of course I am," Naruto replied back with his trademark grin and a thumbs-up, in a similar hyperactive manner to his friend. "Believe it! This will be our first successful C-Rank mission. I definitely want to remember this one!"

"In that case," Rin exclaimed, stopping herself and pulling out a camera from her pouch. Prepping it, she held it up and took a picture of her three students still walking ahead of her, all of them looking excited. Well, Naruto and Ino were jumping around in the frame yes, but Shino could have looked less excited and still be the same in every single picture. The Jonin made sure to take a few snaps before continuing on, the knowledge of her taking pictures quickly falling onto the three Genin, who turned to her curiously.

"It's for the Team 7 scrapbook and for the mission portfolio. It's not only good but important to have as many pictures from C-Rank missions and up for the teams sent out on assignments, since it allows the heads of the village to gain a better understanding of the comings and goings of their shinobi. It's also the team captain's responsibility to have a camera with them at all times to capture evidence of each mission's completion."

"That's understandable," Ino smiled. "Still… it's good to have memories to hang on to." The girl twirled around and continued walking, with Naruto having his hands behind his head in the new formation of their group and Shino tagging along behind them. Their sensei followed in their shadows shortly afterward pocketing the camera.

"I just can't wait to get to the springs," Ino sung, giggling at the thoughts of bathing at the end of the week.

Naruto then blinked, recalling an important note regarding the specs on their mission. He glanced back towards their team leader with an inquisitive expression in play. "Sensei, are we going to be encountering enemy ninja along the way?"

"Enemy ninja?" Rin parroted, earning a nod from the boy.

"You know, are we going to get into a fight or something?"

The teacher smiled and cocked her head to the side a bit. "Perhaps. There is always a small chance that a wandering group of foreign or rogue shinobi might try to pick a fight with a traveling entourage of shinobi from another village. However, in the case of a mission such as this one I doubt we will encounter anything more than a group of thugs or highway robbers. Rogue shinobi don't normally engage other shinobi unless there is something valuable in it for them, and a band of thugs against a small Genin force such as ours should be no problem." The woman then giggled and poked herself in the middle of her chest. "Besides, you have a Jonin on your side. So you don't have to worry about being attacked by somebody 'strong'."

"Oh!" Naruto blinked and then turned around completely to face his teacher, so that he was walking backwards alongside Shino. "What if the enemy ninja was like…REE-EALLY powerful?" the blonde asked, throwing his arms out to illustrate his point. Rin only laughed lightly at that question and waved a hand.

"Don't worry. I'm sure there aren't _that_ many powerful shinobi wondering around," she exclaimed.

Of course, that was more of a hope then what she figured personally.

Though Rin was one of the most formidable shinobi Konohagakure had to offer, standing in line just behind Kakashi's ninjutsu talent and Gai's taijutsu, but still just as terrifying in combat as either of them were, there were many countries, small and big ones out there, sporting their own wings of elite ninja. There were bloodline users and those gifted with raw talent beyond anything she could comprehend. Then there were those who worked incredibly hard to get where they are or stole consistently and greedily from other shinobi to greatly increase their strengths. Then there were the unaccounted rogue elements that were quite powerful in their own bragging opinions and were running around causing havoc.

Still, regardless of these notions, Rin did express quite a deal of confidence in her own abilities and she certainly had the muscle to back it up.

"I'm one of the strongest shinobi you will ever meet in this country or the next one, so don't fret. I'll protect you guys," the woman said confidently. At first, Naruto saw the image she was conveying to be incredibly serious and powerful, with an aura of pure chakra radiating off of her under UV light.

However, all of that was ruined when she unexpectedly pulled out another carton of milk and started drinking it.

This had Naruto face-fault over backwards. He flipped back to his feet and kept walking with an exaggerated, bulbous lump on his head from his impact with the ground.

"_How am I supposed to take __**that**__ seriously?"_ Naruto grumbled in his head as he watched the woman slurp on her straw. Shaking his head, he spun back around and continued on marching.

For the time being, the entirety of the team chose to bask in the silence and the glory of finally being outside of Konoha, away from the familiar sights and smells.

OOO

**A few hours later…**

"Dammit, sensei! Give us our lunches back!" Ino shouted, lunging at the woman to make a grab for her rations box only to be side kicked and sent sprawling to the ground beside her two other teammates, both of whom were already looking pretty beaten up and ragged.

Probably from the ass kicking their teacher was dishing out.

Having been on the road for some time, Rin decided to pull her convoy over to the side for a rest and to eat. However, instead of taking the standard plot of having her team simply sit around and eat at their leisure, she decided to make the day a little more interesting by having them _work_ for their meals. True they had been walking for quite some time and by the start of tomorrow they would all be hard at work building the walls and fences for the new hot springs, but the journey there was a completely different story. From her point of view, they had all the time in the world.

It was why the Jonin was standing out in the middle of a clearing at the side of the highway, holding all of their ration packs in a single stack in her hand, and smiling at them cheerfully. How she was able to get a hold of them was one thing.

Whether this method of training was to taunt them or not they had no idea, but either way the woman's methods could be considered cruel, even by ANBU standards.

This was from the Genins' point of view.

"You can't do this to us twice, sensei!" Naruto shouted, his stomach supporting his objections with a dignified growl. "Not twice! Not on our first C-Rank mission!"

"I just want to see if you guys have learnt anything over the past few weeks. That's all," Rin giggled and held the three packs out in front of her. "Now, if you want to have something to eat before we restart our journey, you have to get _these_ off of me first… or at least try your best. Oh, and to make this more exciting, I'll go easy on you. Hey…" The woman waved at them with a grin. "It's the _real_ me this time."

The woman cocked her head as three shuriken flew by and Naruto leapt at her, swinging in with his trench knife from above. Rin also caught through her peripherals his teammates rushing in from both sides also carrying kunai, which made her smile at how fast they were able to coordinate themselves.

However, she responded by head-butting Naruto and sending him tumbling, while side kicking Ino and Shino to the ground in what looked like the same move. Her body literally blurred in their vision when she swept the same foot around and struck both of them down. In only took a moment, but all three of them were belly-up on the grass for the twentieth time.

"Getting better," Rin nodded. "You're finally getting the idea into your head that you have to fight to kill in order to overcome a much more powerful opponent."

Naruto leapt back to his feet and wiped his bruised forehead. _"Thank Kami she restrained herself."_ Upon cleaning off his brow, he threw his hand to the side and a kunai flew into his grip, before tossing the weapon at her. However, the lone knife, despite its surprise draw and the strong arm behind it didn't even come close to causing any damage to its target, who simply caught it by the ring with her index finger and twirled it effortlessly.

At that moment, Ino got up and threw a cluster of shuriken at the kunoichi, who then proceeded to catch all three of them with the same kunai. She slipped the blade of the throwing knife through the rings of each of the shuriken and as soon as the air was clear, held the still spinning ninja stars out in front of her so that they could twirl to a stop.

Desperate, Naruto and Ino ran in, with Shino clambering quickly to his feet to reengage in the spar and back them up. The jinchuriki was the first to reach the woman and followed up with a right hook. However, the moment he went in for an attack he formed one hand seal with his left hand and two clones exploded on both his left and right, doubling his attack force. Rin watched the triad come in at once, but she easily dispatched them by grabbing the first one in front of her and with barely an effort spun him around and slammed him into Ino, the clones puffing away when their user was knocked senseless and down.

After knocking Ino back over she then threw Naruto into an approaching Shino, sending them both tumbling to the ground. When they eventually stopped, they quickly got back to their feet and glared at the woman tossing them about like they were ragdolls.

"She's very sparse on the 'taking it easy' aspect of this task…" Shino murmured, earning a nod and a huff of agreement from his fellow Genin.

Ino was also back on her feet and once she was, she quickly rushed over to where Naruto and Shino stood. She joined in their formation, ready for another round.

In spite of the odds stacked against them, they had to keep on trying. It wasn't just for the sake of their honor as shinobi, but for a fact that they were incredibly hungry. A chorus of angry growls echoing from their stomachs asserted that fact.

The teens blushed simultaneously when their sensei laughed.

Naruto looked between his friends knowingly and after an exchange of stares nodded to the two of them. He had a plan, and they were willing to work with him.

Instinct was the key in this.

Shino quickly leapt in front of him and Ino slid behind her jinchuriki teammate, ducking low so that she was out of sight, meaning Rin could only see Shino and not the other two behind him, which got her to quirk an eyebrow in surprise.

"Oh… what have we here?"

Shino rushed forward, and when he was only a few yards away, dropped low and formed a hand seal. As soon as he was down on his knee Naruto, who was close behind him, jumped off of his back, one after the other. The blonde shadow clones that were created with their formation flew through the air and came barreling down towards their sensei, trench knives drawn and all five of them glaring angrily at her in their descent.

With them airborne, Shino slammed his hands into the ground and swarms of insects began pouring out. En masse, the parasitic beetle hordes began making their way at a high speed towards the woman standing in the middle of the clearing, spreading out and preparing to surround her. Combined with Naruto's descending clones, the beetles were easily able to match the jinchuriki's speed.

The attack was perfectly in sync.

Rin prepared to combat them single-handedly, but just as she was readying herself the ground behind her exploded into the air and Ino came flying out at her, kunai flashing through the air. The platinum blonde had managed to tunnel directly underneath Naruto and Shino during the line-up, easily making her way behind the Jonin to attack her. This got Rin by surprise when she looked over her shoulder at her other attacker, before focusing on the two in front of her.

Fighting on their level, she saw no way out. To take on a swath this coordinated and this fierce would have meant big trouble for her, so she then felt it was time to play the only card she thought was reasonable for both parties.

She held a casual hand up.

"Okay. I give up."

All three Genin face-faulted at once; the Naruto clones dispelling and the original falling flat to the ground in front of the kunoichi, Ino tripping over her own feet in her advance and keeling over right behind their sensei, and Shino just tipping onto his back, his insects stopping in their tracks and returning to their owner in a hurry.

In that instance, the Genin withheld their advances and slowly staggered to their feet, albeit ragged clothing and disenchanted faces.

"W-What…?" Ino muttered, throwing her arms out to the side in dismay. "That's it?"

Rin giggled and strolled forward, dropping the food right on top of a slumped over Naruto. The startled jinchuriki threw himself forward and caught the cascading packets one after the other, while their sensei strolled right by him with her hands in her pockets and a happy smile on her face.

There had to be something said about her attitude towards training, though it was pretty tough and the kids definitely got a good workout and a smack down at the same time, she was taking things _waaa-y_ too in stride.

"You composited a good team built strategy to overwhelm your opponent a lot quicker this time," Rin said and stopped at the pile of bags that had been unceremoniously dumped on the grass at the start of the bout. She bent over and picked up her bag and, after rummaging through it for a bit, pulled out her own meal. "But… and I can't stress this enough, try to keep the concept of teamwork on you at _all_ times. Sure, individual strength matters for shinobi, but what matters even more is teamwork. Don't try to do everything on your own unless you can't help it. Even when you are alone, it is best for each of you to think about how a whole team would operate in a similar situation, instead of just blindly traipsing into battle."

"How so?" Shino asked, sliding his own hands into his pockets and staring across at their teacher as she approached them again. She was already working on her rations box, a mouthful of rice cakes and a pair of chopsticks in her hand. "We had you cornered. We could have killed you. How could you have countered us in time, sensei?"

"I would have," Rin swallowed, watching as Naruto and Ino sat down on a fallen log and began opening their meals. However, her reply had them all look up at her in confusion, seeing her still smiling gently. "If it were another shinobi of lower stature, the attack would have worked. But in my case, as your teacher, I gave you guys a sporting chance. The problem with your attack was that you made your moves a little too flashy and noticeable. Try not to make your attempts to corner your opponent so clearly; it gives away your positions and your moves a few seconds ahead of the time the plan is actually executed. Sure, it's flattering to see the kind of show you put on, but it has no value in combat or on a mission."

"Then… what should we do about it, sensei?" Ino asked, raising a hand meekly.

"Blend into the ground and think on our feet with only a few seconds to spare?" Naruto murmured, eyes squinting. _"I'm quick on my feet, but I can't think at the same time. Not that I've ever tried… I mean… man… it's so hard to think and fight! I follow my instincts!"_

"Blending into the ground and thinking on your feet… something like that, _yes_," Rin exclaimed, pointing at all three of them as they gathered on the one, fallen long. Shino accompanied his teammates in lunch, box on his lap and all three of them listening attentively to their teacher as she stood before them in lecture. "I'm not saying you guys have it down wrong. You're on the right track. However, it's often necessary for a shinobi to think up a strategy in the midst of battle. When engaged in combat, you focus on your opponent; nothing else. However, when you have a breather in between the bouts or your opponent starts nagging, take in everything you have learnt and everything around you, and think up a plan of action."

"_**Everything?"**_ Naruto and Ino parroted.

"_Everything_ about your opponent; their fighting style, their attacks, their defenses, their preferred weapon of choice, background information… anything that can be useful to _you_ for the moment and in the long run. Also, you must also consider your surroundings and see what you can use to your advantage; the ground, rocks, trees, stumps, logs, fallen weapons," Rin pointed around her, emphasizing certain aspects of the clearing. "If you find yourself outmatched in a straight out fight, cover your retreat and hide behind a boulder, in the trees or in the brush. If you have the ideal conditions to lay a trap, lure your opponent in and wait for the opportune moment. Everything about fighting involves careful planning and structure." A grin spread across her lips. "If you make a living off of the art of fighting, then the way of the shinobi for us can be considered as natural as breathing."

"What's so artistic about shinobi wailing on each other?" Ino asked with a scoff, looking at an equally puzzled and bemused Naruto. Shino however, made no comment as he was too busy chewing and taking in everything their instructor was telling them.

Seeing the skeptical looks she was earning from her two eccentric team members, the woman smiled and stepped back a bit. Taking one of her spare chopsticks, she held it up in front of her to get their attention. Once all eyes were locked onto it, she chucked it into the air so high it disappeared from sight. The Genin tried to follow her movements, as she effortlessly brought a shuriken from behind her and, twirling it between her thumb and index finger, slashed it in a perfect, vertical strike; the weapon easily cleaving through the chopstick as it came diving back towards the ground.

The eating utensil split in two seconds before the two halves impaled the ground, perfectly shoulder width apart. Naruto, Ino and Shino awed and looked up at the woman as she held her weapon out in front of her, which was still spinning between her fingers.

She willed it to stop moments later with the glow of the sun flickering off of its four corners.

"An art form," Rin stated. "We live and breathe the ways of the ninja. True power lies in technique, and the strength and understanding of that technique. Do not take it for granted."

"That was SO cool!" Naruto exclaimed through puffy cheeks and a mouthful of rice. Ino scolded and thumped him in the side, making him wince. "Ow! Sorry… got it… swallow first…"

While the jinchuriki wiped his mouth on the back of his arm warmer, his kunoichi teammate was able to readdress their teacher as she resumed picking out food from her box.

"But sensei, how can fighting mean something like that to you? I mean… we fight, we kill, and we carry out dirty missions in the shadows… sure fighting all looks cool and stuff, but doesn't it sort of… I don't know… dump the whole concept of art down the toilet?" Ino asked in a rather brutally honest way. Rin giggled at that and waved it off.

"Yes, we do all of that stuff, but that's all trivial. The way of the shinobi appeals differently to each individual warrior," Rin stated, thumbing herself in the chest. "To me, it means something more than just _defeating_ an opponent or completing a mission. I wasn't simply trained as a frontline ninja. I was also trained as a field medic and, thanks to these two elements put together, I've taught myself to always consider who I was fighting and whether or not I could avoid fatality, for the benefit of the team and the mission. I always take into account the lives weighed on me so that the battle can be resolved quickly without cost. However, if I have to kill… then I do what needs to be done…"

Ino and Naruto shivered at the tone she used to convey this last note. They were fully aware of what the woman was capable of and neither of them wanted to be on the receiving end of whatever weapon of choice she used to slay her opponents in those situations. Of course, most of the time she had a carton of milk in her hand, so they had no idea what her preferred weapon was. Maybe, if they were lucky, she could demonstrate her abilities to them one day.

But not _**on**_ them…

It was always fun and terrifying learning new things from a fully trained and capable ninja.

"Just because I avoid killing an opponent, doesn't mean I haven't killed before," Rin smiled. "I've got a pretty good track record (giggle)."

"How many are accounted for in your record, sensei?" Naruto asked curiously, making the woman tilt her head in brief contemplation.

It only took her a few moments to deliberate on the young jinchuriki's question in order to satisfy the interested gazes from her students with a simple, but reasonable reply. "I'm thinking of a number between zero and five thousand." She saw all three of her students' jaws drop, making her laugh a bit. "Guess the number of enemy ninja I have actually killed accurately and I'll give you something _really_ special." The wink at the end solidified this challenge.

"_I don't think I want to know this 'special' something," _Ino thought in her head, with her other two teammates paling at her side. The platinum blonde decided to cover up her ashamed expression by eating, burying her face into her ration box. _"It might be __**more**__ hard labor…"_

"Anyway… once you've finished your food, we can start moving again," Rin explained, holding up her box and digging through some of the articles she had pushed over to the side of her dish. Finding nothing that was appealing to her at the moment she then closed it up again, deciding to save the rest for later. "But before we return to the road, I'm going to give you three some homework to do on the way to the village."

Naruto and Ino lowered their lunch, groaning in dismay whereas Shino continued on eating. While most of the team conveyed extreme disappointment at yet another boring task supposedly being handed out by their teacher, the less enthusiastic member of the group didn't do anything other than change the pace of his chewing.

"Homework?" Naruto moaned, crestfallen.

"I thought we were done with all of that stupid, academy stuff," Ino frowned deeply.

Their teacher shrugged and turned away, arms folded. "Alright then. If that's how you all feel then I guess I won't be teaching you these new and awesome techniques I've lined up for you that will make you guys stronger. Oh well. Your loss…" The woman waved and began walking back to their bags with an expectant, sly grin on her face…

But they didn't see it.

"WAIT!" Naruto shouted and leapt to his feet, causing the woman to stop and fist pump while her back was turned. "Why didn't you say _that_ in the first place? You can count me in, teach!"

"We're all _down_ for the new stuff, sensei!" Ino was also up and about, grinning wildly while jabbing a fist in the air. "No matter how hard it is… we'll do it!" The two blondes then looked down at their other teammate, who was still eating at his own leisure.

Feeling the eyes of his friends lock onto him, Shino stopped in mid-bite and glanced up.

Upon seeing the patient glares from both of them, the shades wearing teenager sighed and lowered his chopsticks.

"I'll do it if they want me to…"

"Damn it, Shino!" Ino stomped on the ground and pointed at him. "You're totally killing our group's coolness! Well…" She then looked back over at Naruto and looked him from head to toe, and then waved a hand at him dismissively, "Most of our coolness anyway. I make up fifty percent of it; Naruto brings down the other fifty."

"I SAW THAT COMING!" the jinchuriki shouted back with tears in his eyes.

At that, Rin spun around and smiled brightly at her team, seeing them quickly cease their opening scuffle to face her again. Her presence silenced all forms of rebellion amongst the group.

She was terrific in that department.

"Alright then. Once you guys are done, I'll give you your assignments for the rest of the day," the brown haired woman nodded and then proceeded walking towards their bags.

OOO

In the time she took to get all her materials in order, the three Genin continued on eating till they were satisfied. Filled up and ready for more hours of both marching and learning, the boys and girls returned to their backpacks and collected them. They then formed an arc around their teacher, gathering under her shadow as she stood before them good-naturedly with her hands behind her backs and that carefree smile still in play.

"Okay, now that we're ready to hit the road… let's start the lesson!" Rin exclaimed. She then held out three pads of paper and three pens, with one type of item in either hand. "I want you guys to compile a list of all of the supplies you have packed and what I recommended for you for this mission. No peaking, no cheating, by memory; right down to the number of each article."

All three of them blinked simultaneously and looked at each other. When the writing materials were generously shoved into their grips by their teacher, they immediately flipped the pads to the first available page and sort of analyzed its blankness.

"Oh, come on," Naruto looked up at the kunoichi with a raised eyebrow. "Is this a joke?" This earned a giggle from the elderly woman, who then faced the road behind her and began walking.

"No joke. I make it a point to actually teach something of value to my students. Consider this the first step," Rin hummed to herself, and marched on with her hands in her pockets.

It took a few seconds of recovery before the three Genin eventually started following after her.

Using the pads' hard backs to compensate for a lack of a desk, all three teens began listing the items they were carrying in their backpacks as best as they could. This took them a good fifteen minutes of in and out dot points, while at the same time they had to negotiate the winding roads. They became so engrossed in their assignments that they completely missed some of the more interesting aspects of countryside passing them.

Eventually, when they finished their individual tasks they then each lined up to hand in their pads to their teacher, taking up a flanking position beside her. They didn't stop moving, even during the evaluation period.

Shino was the first to hand his list in and the woman read through it thoroughly.

She nodded with every article she skimmed over.

"Good… you seem to have an excellent grasp of the required materials; a reasonable amount of weapons and appropriate clothing to change into over the next week. There's definitely a pattern in your style. You've also got good handwriting while on the move," she handed it back to the boy, who continued to look at her intently, expecting more. "Don't worry, we'll get to the next bit later. Ino…?"

The teen in question hurried up to walk alongside her sensei while Shino fell back into formation beside Naruto. The Jonin took her time looking over the rather detailed list her female student had given her, and immediately made note of an important aspect about her inventory.

"Interesting penmanship," Rin sweat dropped a moment later. "The hearts around the 'Sasuke and Ino forever' weren't necessary. I'm not grading contents based on creativity. However, I can see you've got really good memory. No wonder you scored well on theory." The kunoichi handed the pad back to the Genin who smiled up at her.

"Would it help if I packed more milk?" Ino asked timidly.

This earned an amused smile from the taller woman. "No, but I'm sure if I wrote _my_ list of supplies and gave it to you kids for evaluation, you can see how much I suck at essentials." She then watched Ino and Naruto switch over and dove into his list.

…

Rin unexpectedly stopped in the middle of the road when she saw what the boy had written and glanced down at him with a dry look.

"What is it?" the jinchuriki asked curiously, his teammates taking a stand on the other side of their sensei in an effort to crane their heads towards the problem.

"You have really bad handwriting, Naruto-kun," Rin explained wryly and then looked back. "Your supply list is spot on… granted there are a lot more instant ramen cups on here then most, but your penmanship, to be honest with you… _stinks_." Ino snickered, whereas Shino's shoulders shrugged away at hearing this piece of 'news'.

The jinchuriki however, developed an annoyed tick mark on his forehead and he folded his arms, looking away with a huff.

"Look, I suck at writing. Big deal," Naruto murmured with an irritated scowl in play. "Besides, you don't need to know how to write properly in order to beat enemy shinobi into a bloody pulp."

The next thing he became aware of immediately after saying those words, was having the blood squeezed out of his eyes and ears in a thousand pound arm lock being administered by his teacher. The woman gripped and held him firmly in place, his face quickly turning purple from suffocation of both air and blood. Ino and Shino stood by in bewilderment.

The jinchuriki wheezed and coughed out whatever oxygen he could, and at the same time tried with all his might to pull away when he found his face pressed up against the side of his teacher's well-endowed bosom.

Believe it; being sandwiched into a D-Cup was not all it was cracked up to be in the manga.

It was downright unpleasant.

Rin gave him a sickeningly sweet smile as she tightened her playful hold over the boy. "Naruto-kun, if your aim is to be Hokage some day, you will need to learn how to write well if you're going to be signing mission slips, filling out reports, checks, notifications and all of that other important stuff one day. Perfect handwriting is one of those things you must aspire towards."

Naruto kicked at the ground, trying to give an indication to his prolonged lack of air if his face turning a dark purple wasn't a dead giveaway.

Unfortunately, the woman wasn't done yet.

"You can keep neglecting a lot of the other areas of your ninja career, but the world will keep on turning," the Jonin exclaimed and looked up towards the sky proudly. "The jobs shinobi take up spill into all aspects of civilian life. You must be _more_ than adequate in all professions in order to fulfill the assignments you are expected to complete. Being a ninja isn't just about fighting…"

"Uhh… sensei…" Ino attempted to interject, but her teacher just kept on talking.

"It's about developing one's skill in all aspects of life," the Jonin held up her fist and smirked. "Like I said, 'true power lies in technique, and the strength and understanding of that technique.' Do you hear what I'm saying, Naruto-kun?" The woman looked down at the boy she was holding, only to see that he was on the verge of passing out with drool hanging from his mouth.

Barely struggling, the boy was swiftly released just as he was taken, and he fell to the ground coughing and choking in sweet relief. Rin sighed and rubbed the back of her head upon seeing the boy quickly recover, and looked back at his list.

"I-I see…" Naruto groaned, glancing up at his teacher and massaging his sore neck and head. "T-Then what should I do?"

"You mean what you should _all_ do?" Rin gave the jinchuriki his pad back before stepping out some and facing all of them. "After watching you guys for the past few weeks, I've learned a lot about your current skills and strengths as Genin. Now it's only a matter of improving them and strengthening yourselves around your weak points."

"Well… what are they?" Ino asked, curious to know what the next stage in this lesson was.

"Each of you has a unique brand of abilities and techniques already existing within your arsenal. So, compiling the information I have gathered, I've come up with a few things you three can work on independently before we move on to a group exercise," Rin smiled and looked down at the girl giving her the _stubborn_ glare. "Ino; from what I gathered on you, I could see that you strictly stick to your clan's style of ninjutsu and combat. You are very graceful and show a lot of tact on the field, but we're going to need to work on stretching your knowledge of jutsu outside of its comfort zone, as well as your taijutsu."

"Really?" the kunoichi blinked, seeing her teacher nod and begin fumbling around in her back pouch.

"I picked this up a while ago, something I was able to learn from," Rin exclaimed, pulling out a book and handing it over to the platinum blonde, who took the article and opened it up. Though the cover was blank, the step-by-step illustrations and descriptions inside spoke more. "I believe that reading the material first hand will appeal to you more than learning practically. Get the motions into your head down before trying it out for yourself. You must touch up on your taijutsu before moving onto the next stages of ninjutsu and genjutsu, as taijutsu is the most essential of skills for a shinobi."

Ino looked from page to page, blinking peculiarly before looking back up at the Jonin. "But what style is it, sensei?"

"When I learned it, the fighting style was called the _Spring Chant_, a foreign martial arts form that utilizes both striking and grappling. If push comes to shove and your opponent gets too close for comfort, this is the style for you. Heh. It works well for me against you guys." She hummed on the last bit, earning an undignified glare from Naruto. "It doesn't require excessive, noticeable movement or overbearing strength, but your attacks are fast. The form encourages you to work on _entry techniques_, getting past your opponent's attacks so you can engage in your own repertoire of punches and kicks."

Fascinated by the concept, Ino quickly became engrossed in the article of knowledge. She dispersed attendance to the lecture and stuck her nose into the very first pages, carefully examining the method, execution and illustrations for a more hands on experience later.

She still felt as though she was a fresh out of the oven Genin, despite it already being a couple of months, which was years for a shinobi, only versed in the basic academy style and her clan's style of close combat. To her, this almanac was somewhat of a welcome relief. It was good to delve into something exotic, particularly since she had never heard of this fighting style before. The young kunoichi made a note to explore the more practical side of this further down the line.

In the meantime her teammates would also be given their own material to work on. Rin rounded on Shino and gave him a very thorough look over.

"You were a little bit tricky when it came to working out something for you," the Jonin exclaimed, pointing at the Aburame observantly, before blindly but surely reaching into her bag. "However, I was able to narrow the taijutsu for you down to this one, _Hakkyokuken_. It should be an effective style to coincide with the long-reaching abilities of your insects." Pulling out another book she gave it to the boy to study while they traveled. "Short-range and power… it might take a little bit of getting used to, but being a part of the Aburame clan your bodies are naturally strong and resilient enough to administer enough stopping power and unexpected, explosive movements, given the right amount of effort exerted."

Shino took the book and stared at the cover for a good minute of silence. He didn't do much beyond that aside from raising an eyebrow out of inquisitiveness, before opening it up to begin reading the information provided.

"This seems like a very unorthodox form of fighting," Shino murmured, flipping the pages one after the other and looking at the illustrations. "There is much more movement in here then what I am accustomed to."

"Exactly," Rin smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "Your clan is famed for a more stationary style of fighting and doesn't exert wasted movement at all. However, if you find yourself unexpectedly hard pressed into fighting a person up close and personal, it's good to have a fighting style in your arsenal that can surprise them. After all, there might come a time when your insects will be of no use against an opponent whom doesn't use chakra and has immense strength to back them up. Therefore, focus on direct attack and a firm, closer to home defense is a really logical choice in your case."

"I accept this task with great enthusiasm. Thank you, sensei," Shino exclaimed heartedly, though his voice betrayed others to this notion.

After the boy also tucked himself into his reading, Rin then turned to an ever waiting Naruto, who was smiling up at her patiently and eagerly. The boy perked up some when he saw his teacher's eyes fall on him.

"Well? Well? Whatcha got for me, sensei?" Naruto asked excitedly.

Rin smiled sweetly. "Well Naruto, you've got a remarkably strong body, perfect for focusing on heavy weight lifting. You're also much more suited to close combat then your comrades, what with your choice and preferred type of jutsu, definitely a lot of potential in that area. An opponent can get mighty uncomfortable with the distance you put between yourself and them. By all accounts you have all the physical strength you need for this next step. All you need to do is just point that power in the right direction, by means of applying it to your attacks more effectively."

When she pulled out the next article and gave it to Naruto, it wasn't quite what he had been expecting.

She gave him a paint brush with ink, items which could be attached to a writing pad while on the move. These material goods quickly pointed to one thing for the boy..

As soon as he identified the two items, the jinchuriki looked up at the Jonin with a distained expression. "What am I supposed to do with these things?"

The woman smiled and gestured to the pad he was still holding. "This is a special sealing paper that erases itself once you've completed all one hundred pages; so you can start again from page one. On each page, I want you to carefully paint every single character in alphabetical order from both Kanji and Kana scripts until you've managed to get them down perfectly. In addition to this exercise, you will use both hands to write the same character twice, one normal and one mirrored on the same page, per page."

Naruto took on the appearance of a guppy fish. "M-Mirror? T-That's crazy! What the hell's the point of this?" He held up the items he was holding. "I thought I was going to learn something cool!"

"For you, this process has a few extra steps," Rin replied assertively. "In order to complete the next stage of your taijutsu training, you must first develop a good sense of control, attentiveness and precision. You may already have a substantial amount of muscle control, but directional control and balance in the hands, arms and upper body is what you must achieve next. You may have had brawling strength before, but when you took up a different form of exercise to increase your jumping distance and height, your strength and power was unconsciously applied in a different direction. This exercise will help you reconnect your strength to your attacks with control."

With that said, the woman turned heel and began leading her team onwards.

Seeing that that was all their teacher had to say, Ino and Shino quickly followed after her, with Naruto left standing in their dust with tears in his eyes.

He sniffed and looked down at the miniscule yet familiar stuff in his hands.

"Man… this bites!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


End file.
